Bibliographical notes on histories of inventions and books of secrets.

  • John Ferguson
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Bibliographical notes on histories of inventions and books of secrets. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    54/428 (page 38)
    LXXIV. I Preffo gli HH: di Gio; Battifta Ceftari | A fpefe di Zaccaria CoDzatti. I . . . Small i2mo. Sigs. A to O in twelves ; or pp. [i-i2] 13—329 [5]. O12, probably blank, is wanting. The Trattato delle Confettioni and the Nvova Aggivnta Di Secreti have title-pages both dated M.DC. LXXIII., both included in the signatures and pagination. The first or theoretical part gives explanation about operations and general descriptions of certain drugs. Then follow electuaries, pills, syrups, lozenges, plasters, oils, waters, etc., etc. The second tract deals with a few preserves, olives, citron peel, etc. The additional admirable and useful secrets are receipts for alleviating certain troubles and maladies, both external and internal. From the fact that these are said to be added, I presume this is not the first edition of the book, but I have no means of ascertaining, as it is not mentioned by any of the authorities I have consulted, and there is no copy of the book in the British Museum. 41. Among the little medical secret books which swarmed in Italy in the seventeenth century, was this: Secret! Medicinal! Del Sig : Alessandro Ventvrini Ne’ quali ft contengono i pi& fcelti rimedi, che fi cauano da gli Animal! per falute dell’ Huomo. Nuouamente accrefciuti d’ important! Secreti dal Sig. Francesco Pignocatti A1 Molt’ Illuftre Sig II Sig Gasparo Bassi. In Bologna, M.DC.LXXII, Per Gio ; Recaldini. Con licenza de’ Super. Small i2mo. Signatures: 4 leaves, A to E in twelves, F in eight. Pagination: [8] 136. This is apparently an Italian chap book; anyhow it is shabby enough to have been an English one. It has, however, the merit not merely of being an entirely new book to me, but of dealing with a new subject in a way to which I remember no strict parallel, and only a partial resemblance in the works of Lovell and of Schroder. It gives a very brief summary of all the drugs obtainable from man and other animals. It is, therefore, strictly a book of medicines, rather than a book of medical secrets, for it would require a counterpart, or at least an index of diseases, with reference to all the drugs useful for these. These are the various Italian collections which I have either acquired or examined during the last few years. Considering their number, and that a