rare books

Nov 23 2022

Popular Pharmacy Handbook of Medieval Europe | November Book of the Month from the John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on November 23, 2022November 23, 2022 by Sarah Andrews

by Damien Ihrig, Curator, John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

MESUË THE YOUNGER (fl. ca. 1200?). Canones universales. First Giunta edition. Printed in Venice by Luca-Antonio Giunta, 1527. 388 leaves. 32 cm tall.

Mesue’s works were an immediate hit. Some of the most famous western physicians of the time, including Petrus de Abano and Mondino dei Luzzi, wrote commentaries on Mesue’s work. Canones, in particular, was very influential. It was printed more times in the 15th century than works from several other influential authors, including Ibn Sina and Pliny the Elder.

Canones contains the whole of the Pseudo-Mesuë’s writings, consisting of three works: one on purgatives (laxatives); an antidotarium, or apothecary’s manual, which was the most popular handbook of drugs in medieval Europe; and an incomplete manual of special therapeutics. The first work, De simplicibus, is a book of so-called “simples.” These were substances from nature thought to have medicinal properties, or “virtues,” a term used throughout our many herbal medicine works. De simplicibus specifically listed forty-nine purgatives – substances used to purge bodily fluids and rebalance one’s “humors.”

The second work, Antidotarium sive Grabadin medicamentorum, or simply the Grabadin, was a major work of pharmaceutical compounds. It greatly expanded the drug treatments available to European practitioners. It was based on Arabic pharmaceutical tradition, which had as its foundation Greek tradition. It became the standard for European pharmacopoeia and was the foundation for centuries of pharmaceutical medicine.

This edition of 1527 (we also have a 1502 edition) would have functioned as a Physician’s Desk Reference, guiding practitioners in their use of pharmaceutical treatments. Along with Canones, it contains medical and pharmacological works by other authors such as de Abano and dei Luzzi, as well as Abulcasis (Abū al-Qāsim Khalaf ibn ʻAbbās al-Zahrāwī), Saladino Ferro, Gentile da Foligno, Christophorus de Honestis, Francesco di Piedimonte, Matthaeus Platearius, and Niccolò da Salerno.

image of spine of book book cover

This book has clearly lived an eventful life. The leather covering has experienced quite a bit of trauma. The pretty blind-tooled cover shows a large tear, deep scratches, insect damage, evidence of mold, and major loss along the lower spine. As horrible as all this may look, it provides us with a lot of information we would not have had available with a completely untouched binding.

For those interested in historical bindings, there is a wealth of information. The exposed spine shows us the sewing and materials used to create the binding. I have written before about manuscript or printer’s waste – the recycling of manuscript and printed material in the construction of new books. The exposed spine on Canones shows evidence for both! Take a close look at the spine and you will see hand lettering on parchment and what looks like a print of a small decorative frame used as a spine liner.

Diving into the book, many of the pages are heavily annotated, including several manicules. And much like those of modern students, the annotations peter out before the end of the book. The more things change… annotated text image

Taking a look at the paper, most of it is in really good shape. It has a lovely creamy color and supple texture. Every so often throughout the book is a leaf with heavy foxing (rusty-looking discoloration). It is clear that at least one batch of paper used to print the book was of substandard quality and contains acidic particles eating away at the paper. Hopefully, most of the damage has already been done.

Finally, about three-quarters of the way through the book, a section has been rather violently ripped out. The photo above shows the uneven and rough stubs left over from this assault. Did someone find something they disliked and angrily remove it? Was it a section with valuable information that a student or practitioner decided to take for themselves? The missing section mainly deals with the pleasant-sounding “putrid fever.” Was it a library book and, lacking a sharp knife, someone coughed loudly while ripping out the pages? We will never know, but it is fun to think about! image of pages ripped out

Contact me to “waste” time this book: damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom.

For more information about the author of this book, read the November newsletter.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact our office in advance at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154

Aug 22 2022

1843 American Cleft Palate Surgery Book | Thomas Dent Mütter | from The John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on August 22, 2022September 28, 2022 by Sarah Andrews

by Damien Ihrig, MA, Curator John Martin Rare Book Room

MÜTTER, Thomas Dent (1811–1859). A report on the operations for fissures of the palatine vault. Printed in Philadelphia by Merrihew & Thompson, 1843. 28 pages. 23 cm tall.

The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia is celebrated for its collection of anatomical specimens of rare conditions, from the famous (and infamous), as well as medical instruments. The museum was founded with an original donation from the collection of Thomas Dent Mütter.

Mütter was born in 1811 in Richmond, Virginia. Sickness is a common theme in Mütter’s life and he lost both of his parents by the time he was eight. He was raised by a distant relative in a seemingly supportive environment.

Money left to him by his parents allowed him to attend Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Mütter himself fell ill during medical school. He left for Europe after graduation in the hopes of improving his health in a different climate and to further pursue his medical education.

In Paris, he worked with the aforementioned Dupuytren, and in London with Robert Liston. Mütter eventually put together a collection of lectures by Liston, which he annotated with 250 pages of his own.

Dupuytren was known for his exacting nature and Liston for his speed when performing a surgical procedure (which could mean the difference between life and death in the days before anesthesia and antibiotics). Mütter seems to have embraced the teachings of both his mentors, stressing the need for the simplest of tools and techniques when performing his reconstructive surgeries while trying to keep the pain and blood loss to a minimum.

A color photo of the black printed text of the title page from Mütter's A report on the operations for fissures of the palatine vault, 1843.

In 1841, he joined the faculty of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. It was there that he made a name for himself as an excellent speaker and engaging teacher. He used his ever-expanding anatomical and instrument collection to provide his students with hands-on experience.

Unfortunately, his ill health never truly subsided and he was forced to retire in 1856. He died three years later at the age of 48.

A report on the operations for fissures of the palatine vault demonstrates Mütter’s adherence to his surgical principles. It is not a long book, only 28 pages, but it provides insight into his process and surgical philosophy. It includes several small illustrations of the steps of the procedure and the instruments used, examples of which you can see above.

binding of book. black leather library binding The book is covered in a “library binding” of black cloth and the textblock shows evidence of having been trimmed (see the ownership mark in the upper right corner of the title page above). Indeed, this book was at some point pulled from the circulating Hardin collection and added to the Rare Book Room collection. It still contains the date due slip (last checked out in 1967!) and barcode sticker.

The spine shows a stamped and gold painted title and Library of Congress call number. Although there is some staining on the first and last pages, likely from the glue of a previous binding, the paper is in excellent condition.

Contact me to view this tiny but mighty book or any others from this or past newsletters: damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom.

Read more on the history of books about cleft palate repairs in the July 2022 newsletter.

Sep 15 2021

New Acquisition | John Martin Rare Book Room | Bleuland, Otium academicum

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

BLEULAND, JAN (1756-1838) Otium academicum : continens descriptionem speciminum nonnullarum partium corporis humani et animalium subtilioris anatomiae ope in physiologicum usum praeparatarum, aliarumque, quibus morborum organicorum natura illustratur. [Academic leisure: containing a description of several specimens of the human body and of exact animal anatomy prepared for use in physiology, and containing a description of other items with which the nature of organic diseases is illustrated]. Printed in Utrecht by Johannes Altheer in 1828. 168 pages. 37 color illustrations and 35 black and white illustrations. 29 cm tall.

Otium academicum is Bleuland’s catalog for his extensive anatomical collection that was purchased for the University of Utrecht in 1826. It includes descriptions for over 2,000 specimens and 72 beautifully printed illustrations. Domenico Bertolini Meli’s 2017 book, Visualizing Disease is an exceptional book with a thorough investigation into Bleuland’s process, both pathologically and illustratively. Bertolini also provides a good description of the differences between intaglio printing (e.g., engraving or etching lines onto a metal plate) and lithography (ink on a stone surface).

“Otium academicum consists of three parts dealing with anatomy and physiology, comparative anatomy, and pathological anatomy, respectively; they appeared in twelve installments between 1826 and 1828. The illustrations of the first two parts include thirty-six copper engravings printed in color and finished by hand; those of the third part consists of thirty-five black-and-white lithographs and one color engraving; the exceptional pathological plate in color will be discussed below.

The separation between physiological and pathological sections, with his distinction between color engravings versus black-and-white lithographs, is quite striking; all his plates, though, relied on preparations…While striking for the preparation and printing techniques, the overall impression of Bleuland’s colored plates is affected by the artificial look of the images: although Bleuland often rejoiced at the beauty of his colored injections, his colors look like implausible renderings of what an anatomist may find in the morgue, though they were possibly true to his preparations.

The scope of his physiological and comparative sections, as in previous publications, was to highlight the physiological significance of his structural findings; in this respect, by highlighting the fine vascular structure, or what he called the anatomia subtiliore, in the tunics and membranes of his preparations, his presentation was perfectly suitable…

Lithography was the preferred medium for pathology presumably for reasons of cost, because most preparations were not colored through injections, and because the versatility of lithography enabled the artist effectively to capture the key features, such as changes in structure and especially texture. A notable feature of Bleuland’s work is that he often tells us how his preparations were made, which vessels he injected, which colors he used, how slowly he injected them, and at times which substance he used, such as mercury.”(p. 90)

“…lithography: by drawing with an oily crayon on the [stone] slab, wetting it, and then applying a sponge dipped in ink, only the portions drawn by the crayon turned black, because the ink was repelled by the water but had an affinity to oily substances. In this way the stone could be used for printing by repeating the same process as many times as one wished.

Whereas in a woodcut the inked image was in relief and in an intaglio print it was recessed, in lithography it was on the surface or at the same level as the plate, hence the technical term of”planographic prints”; unlike intaglio prints, lithographs left virtually no mark of the stone on the paper….eventually lithography allowed for considerable subtleness in tone and effectiveness in representing textures. In addition, the process was simpler, cheaper, and more direct than producing intaglio prints, corrections were easier, and more copies could be printed without wear…” (p. 21) Bertoli, Visualizing Disease, 2017.

The book is in great condition. The paper has very little staining and the images are stunning. It is bound with a leather spine covering and marbled paper. It is an excellent example of a medical scientist maximizing the printing technology of the day to present their work and visual arguments as effectively, and beautifully, as possible.

If you are interested in seeing these or any other rare materials, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom.

portrait of Theodore Schwann, white man, formal 18th century clothes

Jun 29 2021

New Book: Theodor Schwann, Mikroskopische…, 1839 | John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on June 29, 2021June 29, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

portrait of Theodor Schwann, white man, formal 18th century clothes — Theodor Schwann

THEODOR SCHWANN (1810-1882). Mikroskopische Untersuchungen über die Uebereinstimmung in der Struktur und dem Wachsthum der Thiere und Pflanzen. [Microscopical researches into the accordance in the structure and growth of animals and plants] Printed by Georg Reimer in Berlin in 1839. First edition. 270 pages. 21 cm tall.

Schwann was an energetic and talented researcher, inventor, and teacher. He is recognized for many contributions to medical science. Easily his greatest contribution, though, is this foundational work on extending cell theory to animals. Working for his mentor, Johannes Peter Müller, in 1837 the 27-year-old Schwann was using the most powerful microscopes of the day to examine and describe various types of animal cells.

In one of those wonderful moments of scientific serendipity, he happened to be dining with his close friend the botanist, Matthias Jakob Schleiden, when they began to discuss plant cell nuclei. Schwann quickly realized he had seen similar structures in animal cells and that animal cells must function similarly to plant cells: as foundational structures for all living things. Schwann and Schleiden worked together to confirm this. Schwann extended the research with several more experiments on a variety of animal tissues, eventually publishing Mikroskopische in 1839.

By the middle of the 19th century, his two main conclusions, that cells are distinct, but function as the foundational, organizational structures for all living things, became the accepted description for the basic structural components of life. His third conclusion about the formation of cells was not supported by further experimental evidence and was eventually discarded. Regardless, Schwann’s work created the foundation upon which rested the important discoveries of the next century in biology and the medical sciences.

The volume we have was rebound with brown cloth. Pasted to the cloth binding are fun marbled papers, and the outside edges of the text block are decorated with a speckling of red. Inside, the paper is in good shape, although there is clear staining and rippled pages that indicate the book got very wet at some point. Someone took good care to stabilize, clean, and rebind it, although the original binding was lost to us along the way.

If your German is a little rusty, you are in luck! We also have an English translation by Henry Smith from 1847. If you are interested in seeing these or any other rare materials, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom.

Apr 19 2021

Medieval Home Medicine | Week 3 | National Poetry Month @Hardin Library

Posted on April 19, 2021May 24, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

Celebrate National Poetry Month by viewing this medieval didactic poem in hexameter verse.

Make an appointment to view in person or by Zoom with curator damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or by calling 319-335-9154.

REGIMEN SANITATIS SALERNITANUM The Englishmans doctor, or, The school of Salerne. Printed for John Helme 1612 5th impression. [48] pp. 13.7 cm.
First English translation by Sir John Harington

Although not a physician, Sir John Harington (1561-1612) was highly regarded as a man of learning, wit, and great culture. He wrote several works dealing with sanitary engineering; among them was one describing the modern water closet. Harington first translated the poem into blank verse in 1609.

Authorities disagree even as to the approximate date of the original composition of this poem, but a date near 1100 would probably not be far wide of the mark, although it seems not to have been widely known until the middle of the thirteenth century. The poem believed to have emanated from the school of Salerno; at least, that school’s chief claim to popular fame rests with this long didactic poem which sums up most of the practical medical literature up to its time.

The work itself is actually a catch-all of advice and instruction on how to preserve health, rules of hygiene and diet, simple therapeutics, and other instruction intended more for the laity than for the medical profession. Thousands of physicians memorized this poem. After the invention of printing, nearly nearly three hundred editions were published, in Latin as well as in several vernacular languages. Numerous variations and additional verses which accrued through the years have doubtless obscured the original state of the Regimen, but this collective effort remains one of the most revealing medical works of the Middle Ages.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154.

image of Duncan Stewart, white man, posing with rare book outside

Mar 16 2021

You cannot judge a book by its cover. The title page is another story.

Posted on March 16, 2021March 23, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

by Duncan Stewart, MA, MLIS, Rare Materials Cataloger, University of Iowa Libraries,
Adjunct Faculty, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of Iowa

The John Martin Rare Book Room (JMRBR) is filled with books of great medical historical value. But do you know how all those books get into the JMRBR? A book’s journey to the Rare Book Room may start as a donation or as a purchase from a rare book dealer. After being physically recorded as a new part of the collection, all books travel next to one of the University of Iowa Libraries’ rare book catalogers.

Catalogers ply their trade buried within library technical services departments. There they pore over uncatalogued books, comparing the book in hand to its donor or vendor descriptions, taking note of authors, how the leaves of paper were printed and bound, recording how many pages and illustrations there are, and spotting errors that make that book unique. Then catalog librarians weave these disparate threads of information into a single tapestry in the online catalog enabling scholars and other library patrons to discover a new and unique addition to the collection. A full essay on all aspects of cataloging rare books would be long and probably stupefying. However, this title page from a 16th-century herbal work on medicinal plants illustrates one step of rare book classification.

The full title is:
Kreuterbuch, kunstliche Conterfeytunge der Bäume, Stauden, Hecken, Kreuter, Getreyde, Gewürtze : mit eygentlicher Beschreibung derselben Namen, in sechserley Spraachen, nemlich Griechisch, Latinisch, Italianisch, Frantzösisch, Teutsch und Hispanisch und derselben Gestalt, natürlicher Krafft und Wirkung. Sampt künstlichem und artlichem Bericht des Distillierens. Item von fürnembsten Gethieren der Erden, Vögeln, und Fischen, dessgleichen von Metallen, Ertze, Edelgesteinen, Gummi, und gestandenen Säfften. Jetzo auffs fleissigst zum Letzten mal von neuwem ersehen, und durchauss an vielen Orten gebessert, auch weit über vorige Edition gemehret, mit vollkommenen nützlichert Registeren alles Innhalts / durch Adamum Lonicerum

Or loosely translated into English from 16^th-century German:
Herbal book, an artful representation of trees, shrubs, hedges, herbs, grains, and spices. With detailed description and their names in six different languages, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, German, and Spanish, and with descriptions of their physical appearance, natural strength, and effects. Artfully collected into a report on distilling. As well as information about the most important animals of the earth, birds, fish, metals, ores, precious stones, saps, and juices. Now seen in greater detail than the previous edition, greatly improved, with useful tables of contents / by Adam Lonitzer.

The title page does not provide all the information needed, such as the number of pages, printing technique, or binding method, But the lengthy title conveys what the book is about, as well as where, when, and who created it. It also contains a wealth of information to begin an online catalog record. Details like the author’s name, which will be one way to find this book in the catalog. The details in the title help the cataloger determine subject headings to describe the book’s contents. And create a call number. The place, printer, and date at the foot of the title page offer details of book production in the western part of Germany in the late 16th century. The woodcut print demonstrates the intricate carving and laborious hand coloring lavished on illustrations in this text.

The title page printed in red and black, the luxurious decoration, and the Gothic script all serve notice that this book is one of some importance. Also, the woodcut illustration depicts an image of men at work, especially in the important economic activity of distilling in Frankfurt am Main, which continues to this day. Thus, the title page is the foundation for the catalog record below.

Title	Kreuterbuch,…
Author	Lonicer, Adam 1528-1586
Subjects	Botany — Pre-Linnean works
	Natural history Botany, Medical — Early works to 1800
	Medicinal plants
	Herbals
	Herbs
	Distillation
	Materia medica
	Vellum bindings (Binding)
	Encyclopedias — Germany — 1587
Description	Binding: Modern vellum over pasteboard, raised bands, black and red morocco labels
	First published in Latin under title: Naturalis historiae opus novum.
	Foliated with pages numbered on recto
	Signatures: )(⁶ 3⁴ 2⁴ A-O⁶ P⁴ Q-Z⁶ a-z⁶ 2A-2E⁶ 2F⁴ 2A-2M⁶ 2N⁵
	“Five large and 13 small woodcut vignettes, and hundreds of woodcuts of plants, flowers, fruits, animals, minerals and gems, all with contemporary hand coloring.”–Vender catalog
	Title printed in red, guide words throughout
	Includes indexes
	References: Pritzel (2nd) 5599
Publisher	Zu Franckfort : Bey Christian Egenolffs seligen Erben
Creation Date	1587
Format	14 unnumbered pages, CCCLXXXII, 3 unnumbered leaves : color illustrations ; 31 cm
Language	German
Additional title	Naturalis historiae opus novum

Mar 05 2020

CANCELLED |2020 Open House | John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library | Black Plague | March 26

Posted on March 5, 2020March 17, 2020 by Sarah Andrews

The 2020 John Martin Rare Book Room Open House has been cancelled. This event will not be rescheduled.

Please see our online exhibit: The Black Death: The Plague, 1331-1770

image of fire burning in street during plague — A street during the plague in London with a death cart a Credit: Wellcome Library, London.

Oct 02 2018

Guido Guidi | October 2018 Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on October 2, 2018February 1, 2019 by Sarah Andrews

GUIDO GUIDI (1508-1569). Chirurgia è Graeco in Latinum conversa. Paris: Excudebat Petrus Galterius, 1544

Guidi, a successful Florentine surgeon, was invited to Paris in 1542 to help the French King Francis I apply medical advances of the Italian Renaissance to French medicine. Francis appointed Guidi his personal physician and chair of surgery at the Collège de France. Upon the death of Francis I in 1547, Guidi was recalled to Italy by Cosimo I, ruler of Tuscany, and became his personal physician and professor of philosophy and medicine at Pisa.

When Guidi came to Paris, he brought with him a copy of a tenth-century Greek surgical manuscript as a gift for the French monarch. Guidi was able to complete his Latin translation and commentary on the manuscript and published this work. The book is a compilation of what was then known about treating wounds and fractures, especially war wounds. Most of the book is devoted to Hippocrates’ writings on ulcers, fistulas, and head wounds with Guidi’s commentaries and observations, and Galen’s commentaries on Hippocrates’ works on fractures and joints.

The artist of this book is thought to be Francesco Salviati and was formerly attributed to artist Francesco Primaticcio. This book is often considered to be the finest textbook of surgery printed in the 16th century.

image of bandaging head wounds from book — Guido Guidi (Florence 1509–1569 Pisa)
Chirurgia è Graeco in Latinum conversa, Vido Vidio Fiorentino interprete, 1544
French,
Printed book with 210 woodcut illustrations; Overall: 14 3/4 x 10 x 1 15/16 in. (37.4 x 25.4 x 5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947 (47.21)
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/351242

You may view this book in the John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Make a gift to the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences by donating online or setting up a recurring gift with The University of Iowa Foundation.

View a digitized reproduction of this book from Gallica.

The University of Iowa Libraries

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