Galen's works on the anatomy of the human body, known in the Western World through Arabic translatio 1541

Various artists

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• About the artwork
  Prima classis humani corporis origine[m], formationem, dissectionem, temperaturam, facultates, facultatum[que] cum auctiones omnes, tum instrumenta & loca singula complectitur...
  
  Venice, heirs of Lucantonio Giunta, 1541. Folio. With title-page within woodcut border, displaying 8 scenes of Galen curing patients or dissecting an animal, 4 woodcut illustrations in text and numerous woodcut initials and headpieces. Contemporary vellum.
  
  One of the seven volumes comprising the collected works of the Greek physician Galen, published under the general title 'Opera omnia nunc primum in unum corpus redacta' in the years 1541-1542.
  
  "There is no name more illustrious in the whole history of medicine than that of Galen…Written in Greek, this Galenic treasure reached the Latin Western World only through Arabic translations" (Hagelin).
  
  The present volume mainly deals with the anatomy of the human body: the nerves, the muscles, the veins etc. All the volumes were edited by the physician Agostino Gadaldini (1515-1575) from Modena. When the present edition appeared, it was presented as the "new translation", based mostly on earlier humanist translations of Greek manuscripts, but also with many new translations and commentaries by well-known physicians of that day. "It is interesting to note one of Gadaldini's collaborators was Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564). He revised the translations of Galen's anatomical works, in particular the version of Anatomical procedures" (Fortuna), which can be found in the present volume. The present copy is frequently annotated in the margins in an early hand.
  
  With bookplate and owner's inscription. Binding worn, spine heavily damaged on top and bottom, wormholes. With a large waterstain affecting the title-page and some occasional smaller waterstains and spots. Internally in good condition.
  
  Durling 1751; S. Fortuna, The Latin editions of Galen’s Opera omnia (1490-1625) and their Prefaces (2012) pp. 399-402; cf. Hagelin, Rare and important medical books, pp.12-15.
• About the artist
  More than one artist has worked on this object.