Aromatum, et simplicium aliquot medicamentorum apud Indos nascentium historia

Groundbreaking treatise on exotic botany and tropical medicine

458+[6]+[blank leaf] pages with numerous woodcut illustrations. Duodecmo (6 1/4 x 3 3/4") octavo bound in quarter leather with five raised spine bands with spine tooled in gilt, over brown boards. Translated from the Portuguese into Latin by Carolus Clusius (Charles de L'Ecluse). Fourth Edition.

Garcia de Orta's groundbreaking treatise on exotic botany and tropical medicine, to which are added two other important works on the subject. Orta's contribution comprises pp. 1-217+[7]. It is followed by:

Christophori a Costa, medici et cheirurgi, Aromatum & medicamentorum in Orientali India nascentium. Pp. [225]-312.

Simplicium medicamentorum ex novo orbe delatorum, quorum in medicina usus est, historia... descripta à d. Nicolao Monardis. Tertia editio. Pp. [313]-404+[4]

Simplicium medicamentorum ex novo orbe delatorum, quorum in medicina usus est, historia... descripta à d. Nicolao Monardis. Altera editio. Pp. [409]-456.

Rare combined edition of three major 16th century treatises in the history of botanical and medical knowledge of plants from India and the New World. These Latin editions had all previously been published by Plantin. Garcia da Orta's treatise (originally published in 1563 in Goa in Portuguese) is the first Indian materia medica written by a European and the first textbook of tropical medicine. The text of Acosta, of which L'Ecluse gives an abridgment, is a complement to the text of Orta. Finally, the Latin translation, also abbreviated, of the treatises of Nicolas Monardes details the medicines and medicinal herbs of South America and describes their native uses. His text also contains the first representation of tobacco, and also that of pepper, and even the armadillo. A rare, complete copy, with the final unpaginated leaves including three privileges, the colophon, the large printer's device of Plantin and the final blank.

Condition:

Some rubbing and wear to covers, spine foot chipped; some minor foxing and aging within, early ink underlines to the early leaves of the first work else good.