Interest in Botanical Manuscripts on the Rise
Interest in ancient botanical manuscripts is stronger than ever, not only in libraries and research centers worldwide, but also on the antiquarian market.
In April, the auctioneer Christie’s (London, King’s Street) offered on sale two Arabic codices on medical botany. One is an 18th-century Turkish volume on herbal medicines with color representations of plants, and the other a 14th-century copy previously unknown among scholars of the text by ibn-Butlan (d. ca. mid 11th cent. A.D.) on the properties of foodstuffs possibly made in Damascus (Syria).
Also, the Osler Library of the History of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal (Canada) has entered this field of scientific investigation, as it owns a truly exceptional piece of medico-botanical history: an illustrated copy of the treatise by al-Ghafiqi (d. ca. A.D. 1150), an Arabic physician and naturalist from Andalusia. This is a unicum, that is, the only known copy of this work, which analyzes the plants then used for therapeutic purposes presented in alphabetic order of their Arabic name. The manuscript is lavishly illustrated and will be studied for the first time by the interdisciplinary team of the Ghafiqi project.
The Institute is actively present in this movement. Last year, Alain Touwaide co-authored the volume of study accompanying the facsimile reproduction of one of the Latin manuscripts of ibn-Butlan’s treatise above. Also, he is the curator of the online exhibition Odyssey of Knowledge that shows how the classical Greek tradition, its Christian re-elaboration, the contributions of the Arab World, and the unique medieval synthesis contributed to the creation of medical knowledge in Europe. The exhibition uses significant images from manuscripts and early printed books of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Featuring twenty-one medieval manuscripts and five early printed texts , An Odyssey of Knowledge displays some of the most prized items held by the NLM and gives a rare look at texts that are normally kept under lock and key, containing medical knowledge which spans over two millennia. Finally, in August, Alain Touwaide will participate in a workshop of the Ghafiqi project aimed to define how this exceptional piece can be best approached.
