LUSITANUS, Amatus.

by Amatus Lusitanus

£1,450 · Offered by Sokol Books

.Rare and attractive second Lyon edition of this extremely popular work by the Jewish Portuguese doctor Amatus Lusitanus (1511-68), credited with discovering the function of the heart valves, first published in Florence in 1551. The book begins with a short work on critical days occurring during a disease, describing the day-by-day progression of illnesses according to Galen and Hippocrates, running to twenty days. The main part of the work consists of the first two of Lusitanus s centuries, collections of one hundred case studies of cures, which are divided into a description of the illness and cure, each with a commentary called the scholia. . . ..Many of the cures are herbal. There is a useful index of cases, which include snake bites, head pain, uterine prolapse, fevers, mouth ulcers, pleurisy, hydropsy, nephritis, syphilis, diseases of the eye, elephantiasis, worms, mania, etc. There is a frequent emphasis on issues affecting women, especially during birth, including miscarriage, at least two cases of post-partum depression and mania, and emitting menstrual blood from the nose and mouth during labour. Lusitanus also describes the case of a girl from a noble family in Esgueira who, after reaching puberty, developed male genitalia instead of menstruating..

• Binding: Hardcover

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