Book of Pharmacy, 1703

Valuable ancient pharmacy book published in Geneva (Italy) in 1703. The book keeps all its pages and they are all in great condition. This is a rare piece and is actually the second volume form a set of two. As we can read in the first page, this book was written by Jo. Jacobi Mangeti, Doctor in Medicine. The name of the book is Bibliotheca Pharmaceutico-Medica (Pharmaceutical and Medical Library) and is written in Latin from the beginning to the end. The cover is the original one and is made of authentic parchment. It is somewhat worn but its condition is admirable if we consider that the book is more than three hundred years old.As well as the written information printed on its pages, this book also contains thirty one detailed illustrations of enormous scientific and artistic quality. All of them are performed in black ink, boasting very slim lines and a great accuracy. Among the different illustrations we can see detailed reproductions of medical and pharmaceutical instrument (test-tubes, pipettes, flasks, furnaces), as well as images of how they must be used. In the pages we also find wonderful illustrations of herbs, plants and flowers with all their parts in detail. Other drawings recall our attention too, such as the illustrations depicting two snakes and some kind of lizard.Surely these animals poisons were used to make medicines or pharmaceutical formulas, something usual years ago and that is still done nowadays in scientific investigation. The book shows images of the animals in different positions and also dissected, showing their skeletons in detail and other parts of their bodies. The rest of the book is full of information about the plants and animals which the illustrations depict and their use in pharmacy and medicine, being a great compendium of information. This ancient treatise on pharmacy and medicine is surely a valuable article which will delight any collector of antique illustrated books, but also any doctor or chemist who also loves antiques.Measurements: Width: 250 mm. Height: 360 mm.