Beschreibung:

AVICENNA [Abu 'Ali al-Husayn ibn 'Abdallah ibn-Sina] (980-1037). Liber canonis , in Arabic. Rome: Medicean Press, 1593. 2 o (325 x 222mm). Collation: [1 6; 2 4 3-10 6 11 4 12-25 6 26-52 6 53 4, 54-74 6 75 8, 76-81 6 82 8] A-D 6 E 8 (53/4 blank). 522 leaves. Woodcut diagrams, ornamental woodcut head- and tailpieces, each page within border of two typographical rules. (Occasional browning or foxing; small mostly marginal paper flaws in ca. 10 leaves, touching text on 1/2 and pp. 105-6; tiny wormholes in ca. 10 leaves, just touching 2 letters on title page and 2 lines on pp. 45-56; title page separating at head and tail; 69/2.5, i.e., pp. 183-4 and 189-90, bound in upside down). 18th-century vellum over pasteboard. Provenance : Arabic inscription on title page; erased circular ink stamp on 1/2r; Georges Jean Mazloum, physician at Aleppo (ink stamp in roman and arabic letters, title page). EDITIO PRINCEPS. The Typographia Medicea was established by Ferdinando de' Medici at the request of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-95) for printing in oriental languages, using Arabic types designed by Robert Granjon. In addition to this edition of Avicenna, the best-known productions of the press are an edition of Euclid in Arabic and an Arabic translation of the Gospels, the latter intended to support missionary work among the Muslims. In the Arabic world, Avicenna was regarded as a medical authority into the twentieth century, according to this anecdote recorded by Sir William Osler: "Aug. 7, 1915. Dr. Neligan, Physician to the British embassy, Teheran, told me to-day that he had a consultation on a case of fever with a native physician who quoted Avicenna and said he did not think the case was one of typhoid as it did not correspond with the symptoms laid down in the Canon" (Osler, p. 44). FINE COPY. Adams A-2322; Garrison-Morton 44; NLM/Durling 376; Osler 466; Norman 1951.