FERNEL, Jean

Therapeutices Universalis. [Bound with:] De Abditis rerum causis.

Frankfort a.M. Claude de Marne and Jean Aubry, 1593. 8vo. 562, [44] pp. ; 272, [24] pp. LATER EDITION. Woodcut portrait of the author on the title verso. Modern morocco-backed boards. Marginal worming to the first few quires, light marginal dampstaining, final quire gnawed at the outer edge, not affecting text. Item #18414

Early collected volume of two medical treatises by Fernel (1506-1558), the renowned French surgeon who mentored Vesalius. The Therapeutices was the third part of Fernel’s crowning achievement, the Universa Medicina, the first systematic treatise on pathology first printed in 1554. It covers the treatments of diseases in seven books, including recipes for pharmaceuticals, instructions for setting fractures, and information about draining wounds.

The second part, De Abditis rerum causis, is a theoretical exposition about the nature of scientific thought at the time. It addresses God, the soul, medicine, and matter, and suggests a dimension of incorporeal beings that exists between Earth and Heaven, with one chapter dedicated to angelology and demonology. Both works conclude with an alphabetical index.

DSB, IV: 584-586.

Price: $1,500.00