Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 37

GALENUS (ca. 130-ca. 200) De ossibus ad tyrones. De nervorum, musculorum, venarum & arteriarum, vocalium instrumentorum, vulvae, dissectione libri. De motu musculorum libri duo. Adjecimus praeterea Oribasii De musculorum dissectione libellum. . . . Apud Gulielmum Rouillium 1551 349 pp., 3 plates. 11.9 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 36

During the 1530s the eminent printer, Luca Antonio Giunta (1517-1536), decided to publish a comprehensive edition of Galen's works in Latin so that physicians would no longer have to rely on writings from Greek and Arabic sources. Montanus (see No. 225), who led the editorial effort, chose many noted authorities and scholars to aid in the massive undertaking. Vesalius (see No. 280 ff.) was among those asked to assist and he prepared several of the anatomical works providing numerous marginal notes to assist the reader. Although Luca Antonio died before the project was completed, his heirs completed the task and published what became an immensely popular publication. Numerous editions were published by the Giunta family as well as the Froben's of Basel. Between 1548 and 1553 the Roville press also issued many of the Galenic treatises in small pocket-size editions. These were often issued singly or, as here, in small collections. Although earlier editions of Galen credited Vesalius for contributing the marginal notes where appropriate, as time passed his name came to be omitted. However, it is known that the marginal notations in Agostino Gadaldini's (1515-1575) translation of De nervorum dissectione ad tyrones and Antonius Fortolus' (fl. 1526) translation of Dissectionis venarum arteriarumque are from the hand of Vesalius. Also included in this work are: Ferdinando Balami's (fl. 1514-ca. 1552) translation of De ossibus ad tyrones with three osteological plates; Gadaldini's translations of De musculorum dissectione ad tyrones and Vocalium instrumentorum dissectio; Joannes Bernardus Felicianus' (ca. 1490-ca. 1552) De dissectione vulvae; Leoniceno's translation of De motu musculorum libri duo; and, Giunio Paolo Grassi's (d. 1574) translation of Galen's commentary on De musculorum dissectione from Oribasius' (see No. 46 ff.) Collecta medicinalia.

See Related Record(s): 225 46

Cited references: Cushing G14; Cushing Vesalius V.-2; Durling 1821

Gift of John Martin, M.D.