Electronic Texts in the History of Medicine

With the collaboration of Richard H. Siderits, M.D., of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton, New Jersey, the Historical Library is making available through the Web several popular medical texts from the 15th through 18th centuries.

This project was conceived and begun by Dr. Siderits in 1994, with the assistance of a project team. Using rare books provided by the Historical Library, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, Dr. Siderits converted the full texts to electronic form through keying or scanning.

The texts selected for this ongoing project have been primarily works of popular medicine and pharmacy in English.

Project team members: Richard Siderits, Sidartha Gabriel Ellis, Mitchell Linder, Idelia Wolfe, Donna Schulz, Mir Ali, Jennifer Kassan, Kartik Ramamoorthi, Z. Hussain, M.D., Mike DiVirgilio, Sujal Singh, and Kate Cannon.

Boerhaave, Herman, 1668-1736.
An essay on the virtue and efficient cause of magnetical cures : To which is added, a new menthod for curing wounds without pains, and without the application of remedies / written originally in Latin.
London : [S.N.] 1743.
56 p. ; 20cm.

Boulton, Samuel.
Medicina magica tamen physica: magical, but natural physick; or, A methodical tractate of diastatical physick. Containing the general cures of all infirmities ... and that by way of transplantation. With a description of a most excellent cordial out of gold.
London, Printed by T. C. for N. Brook, 1656.
[8], 195 (i. e. 197), [3] p. ; 15 cm.

Corporation of London (England). Court of Common Council.
The order of the hospitalls of K. Henry the viii th and K. Edward the vi th, viz. St. Bartholomew's, Christ's, Bridewell, St. Thomas's.
[London] 1557.
[115] p. 15 cm.

A Critical dissertation on the Mandrake of the Antients; with some observations on the Egyptian, Grecian and Roman literature, botany, and medicine : in a letter to a Fellow in the College of Physicians.
London : Printed by T. Gardner, for W. Bickerton..., 1737.
1 p.l., 58 p. ; 19cm.

Culpeper, Nicholas, 1616-1654.
The English physitian: or an astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation.
London : Peter Cole, 1652.
8 p.l., 255 p. (i.e. 159 p.), [5] p., front. (port.)
Pages numbered 1-92, 189-255.

Egenolff, Christian.
Herbarvm, arborvm, frvticvm, frvmentorvm ac legvminem : Animalium praeterea terrestrium, uolatili~u & aquatilium, aliorum´q; quorum in medicinis usus est, simplicium, imagines, aduiuum depictae, vnà cum nomenclaturis eorundem usitatis ; Kreutter, Bäume, Gestende, unnd frücht, deszgleichen Gethier : zam unnd wild, im Lufft, Wasser und Erdtrich lebende, mitiren namen benennet.
Francoforti : Apud Chr. Egenolphum, 1546.
[15], 265 p. : col. ill. ; 21 cm.

Fuchs, Leonhard, 1501-1566.
Primi de stirpivm historia commentariorvm tomi uiuæ imagines, in exiguam angustioremq[ue] formam contractæ, ac quam fieri potest artificiosissime expressæ...
Basileæ, 1545.
7 p. l., 516 p. of plates (part col.) 17 ½ cm.

Fuller, Thomas, 1654-1734.
Pharmacopoeia extemporanea: or, a body of prescripts. In which forms of select remedies, accommodated to most intentions of cure, are propos'd. -- London : printed for B. Walford, 1710.
8 p.l., 443, [27] p.; 20 cm.

Herbarius.
Herbarius latinus : with French synonyms.
[Paris : Jean Bonhomme, about 1486].
[174] leaves : ill. ; 21 cm.

Lazzarelli, Ludovico, 1450-1500.
De bombyce.
[Rome : Eucharius Silber, 1498].
[6] leaves ; 20 cm.
In verse.
Half title reads: Opusculum de bombyce.
Signatures: a6.

Regimen sanitatis Salerni. [Regimen of Health] This boke ... is translated out of the Latyne tonge in to Englyshe by Thomas Paynel. Whiche boke is amended, augmented, and diligently imprinted.
[Londini, In aedibus Tho. Bertheleti, 1535]
[6], 119, [1] l. ; 20 cm.

Willis, Thomas, 1621-1675.
Plain and easie method for preserving (by God's blessing) those that are wellfrom the infection of the plague : or any contagious distemper in city, camp, fleet, &c. and for curing such as are infected with it ; written in the year 1666.
London : printed for W. Crook, 1691.
7, [8], 74, [1] p. ; 18 cm.