PIETRO D'ABANO (c. 1250-c. 1315)

Conciliator ... nuper post omnes impressiones ubiq[ue] loco[rum] excussas accuratissime recognitus ... Eiusdem libellus de venenis. Questio Cararii de venenis ad terminum. Simphoriani in ipsum co[n]ciliatore[m] cribrationes. Cesaris optati Citrarei questio de flobothomia in pleuresi. Eisudem opusculum de febre sanguinis ... [Colophon:] Impressa omnia Venetiis accurate solitaq[ue] diligentia Impensis nobilis viri domini Luce Antonii Iunta Florentini in eiusdem officina. Anno ab incarnatione verbi. Millesimo quingentesimo vigesimonsexto pridie nonas Augusti

      Venice: Lucantionio Giunta, 1526. Folio: [maltese cross]6 a--z8 [et]8 [con]8 [rum]8 A--D8 E--H6(blank H6), 270 leaves, ff. [6] 263 [1]. Gothic letter in double columns. Printer's device on H5v. 14-line historiated initials and smaller decorated initials; large woodcut diagram on f. 30r, several smaller diagrams, and a woodcut on f. 231v (136 x118mm), with type let into the block, showing two male figures. Leaf size and condition: 310 x 215mm. Prelims lightly soiled; minor marginal waterstains on a few leaves. A fresh clean copy. Binding: Contemporary vellum boards, remains of 4 ties. Lower spine compartment defective, spine ends and board edges worn. Provenance and annotation: Inscription on terminal blank apparently recording the birth day in August 1545 of 'Pomponio' (transcribed below); Walter Pagel (1896--1983), signature, undated; B. E. J. Pagel (1930--2007). References: EDIT16 CNCE 29302. Later edition (first 1472). This edition appears to be a reprint of the Venice, 1521 edition. There were at least 6 fifteenth-century and 13 sixteenth-century editions. This edition has corrections and annotations by Symphorian Champier, introduced in the Giunta edition of 1521. § 'In his Conciliator, d'Abano undertook a superb synthetic program: the reconciliation of medicine with philosophy. In this he states 120 questions that give rise to as many controversies between physicians and philosophers ... D'Abano maintained more or less that "the art of medicine must not consider only things that can be seen and felt." Hence he possessed a good knowledge of anatomy; he affirmed, in opposition to the authority of Aristotle (who thought the nerves originated in the heart) that the center of all sensation and motion resides in the brain. His notions of the central nervous system are probably derived from direct visualization. According to d'Abano, the doctor is the symbol of the zealous servant and the collaborator of nature ... [He] must be free in his reasoning and must have no ties with scholastic authorities. Such ideas imply a revolt against established and wearisome tradition: they prepare for the rupture with the past and indicate a new path for scientific progress. D'Abano's voice was one of those that, at the dawn of humanism, announced the beginning of a scientific revival.' (Loris Premuda, DSB, 1:4). Pietro d'Abano studied at Padua; he lived for a time in Constantinople before going to Paris around 1300 where he attended the University and perhaps taught, and composed the Conciliator. It was his most famous work, for which he was often called Petrus Conciliator. In 1307 he returned to Padua and taught philosophy and medicine for several years. This edition, apparently reprinted from the 1521 edition, contains also Petrus Cararius (d. 1506), De venenis ad tempus and Symphorien Champier's additions and corrections to d'Abano's text. The woodcut of two male figures showing the muscles is similar to an image used by Berengario in his Commentaria (1521) but the two are independent. The image was not in the first edition of 1472 but first appeared in the Venice 1496 edition (Sarton p. 440). This very good copy has no contemporary annotations in the text, but a rather delightful inscription in the final blank leaf recording the birth of Pomponio, no doubt the owner's son, after 12 hours of labour: 'Pomponio nacque alli sei d'Agosto 1545 de giobbia alla fine de dodici hore in bona hora et in bon ponto sia nato.' (Pomponio was born on the 6th of August, 1545, of Giobbia, at the end of 12 hours in a good hour and in a good point [conjunction?] may he be born.) Literature: Sarton III, 439--446; Thorndike, II, pp. 874--913 and 919.