Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 337

GABRIEL FALLOPIUS (1523-1562) De simplicibus medicamentis purgantibus, tractatus non minus elegans, quam utilis. Ad insigne stellae Jordani Ziletti 1566 [8] 263 pp. 19.9 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 331

Not only was Fallopius skilled in anatomy and surgery but he was also an accomplished botanist. Although he left no individual works devoted solely to botanical subjects, notes made by his pupils and observations he made in his books are evidence of his knowledge and expertise in botany. A great deal of his background and experience were gained at Pisa where he was superintendent of the city's botanical garden and professor of anatomy and botany from 1548 to 1551. The present work was prepared for publication several years after Fallopius' death by Andreas Marcolini. In the book, Fallopius discusses the preparation and uses of purgatives and comments on many of the plants used in their preparation. He often refers to other contemporary authorities, as well as many of the early Arabian authorities but references to Galen and Hippocrates are most frequent. Marcolini has also included a letter from Fallopius to Girolamo Mercuriale (see No. 354 ff.) in which the medicinal uses of asparagus and particularly its role as a purgative are discussed. Although the title page of the book is dated 1566, the date in the colophon is 1565. Since an earlier edition of the book was published in 1565, it is possible that the printer merely reset the title page and introduction before reprinting the present edition.

See Related Record(s): 354

Cited references: Wellcome 2155

Gift of John Martin, M.D.