Culpepper, Nicholas [1616-1654]. The English Physician: or An Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of this Nation. Being a complete Method of Physick, whereby a man may preserve his Body in Health; or cure himself, being sick, for three pence charge, with such things only as grow in England, they being most fit for English Bodies. Herein is also shewed, 1. The way of making Plaisters, Oyintments, Oyls, Pulltiffes, Syrups, Decoctions, Julips, or Waters, of all sorts of Physical Herbs, that you may have them readie for your use all times of the Yeer. 2. What planet governeth every Herb or Tree (used in Physick that groweth in England. 3. The time of gathering all Herbs, both Vulgarly, and Astrologically. 4. The Way of drying and keeping the Herbs all the yeer. 5. The Way of keeping their Juice ready for Use at all times. 6. The Way of making and keeping all Kind of useful Compounds made of Herbs. 7. The Way of mixing Medicines acconding to Cause and and [sic] Mixture of the disease, and Part of the Body Afflicted. By Nick Culpeper, Gent. Studend in Physick and Astrologie. London: Printedby [sic] Peter Cole, at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil, near the Royal Exchange. 1652.
In 4° (cm 24.5), cc. [8], pp. 255 (i.e. 159, perché la paginazione passa da p. 92 a p. 189) [1], cc. [2]. Frontespizio inciso e ritratto dell’Autore al verso (Cross sculpsit; In Effigiem Nicholai Culpeper Equitis).
Medico e astrologo, fratello di un prete ed educato a Cambridge, pubblicò almanacchi dal 1651 al 1656. Secondo Thorndike (infra) l’opera è la traduzione in inglese del Medicina Pauperum ac ejusdem De venenis ac eorundem alexipharmacis opusculum di Jean Prévost (Francofurti, Sumptibus Johannis Beyeri, 1641, pp. 377 [ma 383]: uno degli esemplari è alla Harvard University, Medical School). La versione inglese ebbe comunque straordinario successo, come risulta dalle sue infinite edizioni e dal numero di esemplari fin delle primissime edizioni, posseduti dalle biblioteche. Si tratta di un erbario molto articolato. Ogni “erba” è “assegnata” a uno dei Pianeti, che nell’opinione dell’Autore ne è il “Governor”.
Esemplari: Magdalene College, Oxford (2); British Library; Wellcome Library; Cambridge University, Clare College; Guildhome Library London; College of Physicians of Philadelphia; The National Library of Medicine of the USA; Library of Congress; University of California, Barkley; UCLA Library, Los Angeles; Yale University; Harvard University, Medical School, Countway Library; Henry Huntington Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California; University of Chicago.
Bibliografia: Thorndike VIII p. 410; Gardner 246 247 249 250 (per le edizioni, rispettivamente, del 1652, 1653, 1661, 1813); Graesse II 306 (edizioni 1652, 1653, 1656, 1683, 1684, 1661, 1695, 1696, 1697, 1698).
Quella descritta è probabilmente la prima edizione, ma:
- altra edizione, forse precedente (London, Printed for the benefit of the Commonwealth of England, cc. [12], pp. 266, cc. [6], in 12°, con il ritratto dell’Autore), ma pur sempre dell’anno 1652, fu ripudiata dall’Autore perché pubblicata senza la sua autorizzazione, e non corretta. Esemplari: Wellcome Library; British Library; Cambridge University; Royal College of art, London; Queen’s University, Oxford; Natural Historical Museum, London; Southwestern Regional Library System; East Sussex County Library; National Library of Wales; Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin; Yale University, Medical School; Wellesley College, Massachusetts; University of Massachusetts; Tufts University, Massachusetts; Northeastern University, Massachusetts; Harvard University Medical School; Harvard University, Botany Libraries; Harvard University, Harvard College; Harvard University, Houghton Library; Darmouth College Library, New Hampshire; Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; Brooklyn Botanic Garden; New York Botanical Garden Library; New York State Library; Columbia University, Health Science Library; New York City College of Tech; Cornell University, New York; Suny Health Science Center, Brooklyn; University of Montréal, Québec; Toronto University.
- nello stesso 1652, vi fu inoltre, la seguente ulteriore edizione: 1652, London, printed by William Bentley, con il titolo The English Phisytian or An Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of this Nation. Being a Compleat Method of Physick, whereby a man may preserve his Body in Health; or cure himself, being sick, for three pence charge, which such things only as grown in England, they being most fit for English Bodies Herein is also shewed, 1. The way of making plaisters, oyntments, oyls, pultisses, syrups, decoctions, julips, or waters of all sorts of physical herbs, that you may have them ready for your use at all times of the year. 2. What planet governeth every herb or tree (used in physick) that groweth in England. 3. The time of gathering all herbs, but [sic] vulgarly, and astrologically. 4. The way of drying and keeping the herbs all the year. 5. The way of keeping the juyces ready for use at all times. 6. The way of making and keeping all kinde of usefull compounds made of herbs. 7. The way of mixing medicines according to cause and mixture of the disease, and part of the body afficted. By Nich. Culpeper, Gent. Student in Physick and Astrologie, in 12°, cc. [12], pp. 1-188 179-266, cc. [6], con il ritratto dell’Autore al verso della prima carta. Esemplari: Wellcome Library; British Library; Bodleian Library Oxford; Cambridge University; Corporation of London Libraries; London Library; National Library of Wales; Linköping Stadsbibliotek; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München; Niedersächsische Staats und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen; Universiteit Utrecht; Harvard University, Medical School; Merrimack Val Library Consortium, Massachusetts; Worcester Public Library, Massachusetts; Eastern Connecticut State University; Yale University; Yale University Medical Library; Suny College at Geneseo, New York; New York University; New York Public Library Research; New York Botanical Garden Library; New York Academy of Medicine; Cornell University, New York; Brooklyn Botanic Garden Library; Rutgers University, New Jersey; Atlantic County Library, New Jersey; Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh; Pennsylvania University Libraries.
Altre edizioni:
1653, London, printed by Peter Cole, in 8°. Esemplare della British Library;
1661, London, printed by Peter Cole, pp. 10, cc. [6], pp. 398, cc. [8]. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1698, London, printed by A. and J. Churchill, cc. [6], pp. 284, cc. [8], in 12°. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1703, London, printed by A. and J. Churchill, in 12°, cc. [8], pp. 386, cc. [5]. Esemplare della National Library of Wales;
1714, London, printed by J. Churchill, in 12°, cc. [8], pp. 386, cc. [5]. Esemplare della National Library of Wales;
1725, London, printed for Tho. Norris, A. Bettersworth, J. Batley and S. Bellard, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 386, cc. [5]. Esemplare della Cambridge University;
1733, London, printed for Betterworth and Hitch, cc. [6], pp. 386, cc. [10]. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1741, London, printed for S. Ballard and R. Ward, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 387, cc. [4]. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1752, London, printed for S. Ballard, R. Ware, S. Birt, C. Hitch and L. Hawes, and J. Hodges, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 387 [1], cc. [4]. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1770, London, E. Ballard, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 387 [1], cc. [4]. Esemplare della Radcliffe Science Library, Oxford;
1775, London, Ballard e Nicoll, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 387, cc. [4]. Esemplare della Bodleian Library, Oxford;
1778, London, Lackington e Denis, in 12°, cc. [1], pp. 18 407 [1]. Esemplare della National Library of Scotland;
★ 1784, London, Printed for J. Bruce, D. Burnett, R. Hopper, R. Pennington, L. Martin; and P. Anderson at Edinburgh, in 4° (17.3 cm), A-Z6 Aa-Gg6, cc. [6], pp. 348, con il titolo The English Physician Enlarged with Three Hundred and Sixty-Nine Medicines, made of English Herbs, That were not in any Impression until This. Being An Astrologo-Physical discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of this Nation, containing a complete Method of Physick, whereby a Man may preserve his Body in Health, or cure himself, being Sick, for Three pence Charge, with such Things only as grow in England, they being most fit for English Bodies.Herein are shewed these Seven Things, viz. 1. The way of making Plaisters […] 2. What planet governeth every Herb or Tree […] that groweth in England. 3. The time of gathering all Herbs […]. 4. The Way of drying and keeping the Herbs […]. 5. The Way of keeping their Juice ready for Use […]. 6. The Way of making and keeping all Kinds of useful Compounds […]. 7. The Way of mixing Medicines […]. Esemplari: British Library (2); Manchester University; Cambridge University; Yale University School of Medicine; University of Wisconsin, Medical School; Lloyd Library and Museum, Cincinnati; University of Pennsylvania; University of California, Los Angeles, Biomedical; University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey; North Carolina State University at Raleigh; University of Illinois at Chicago Health Sciences; The National Library of Medicine of The USA; British Columbia University, Vancouver; University of Adelaide, Australia;
1785, London, printed for the Booksellers, in 12°, pp. 348. Esemplare della Glasgow University;
1787, Dublin, printed by H. Colbert, in 12°, cc. [1], pp. iv 418, cc. [7]. Esemplare del Trinity College Dublin;
1788, London, Mc Queen & Lackington, in 12°, cc. [1], pp. 18 407 [1]. Esemplare della Radcliffe Science Library;
1788, Edinburgh, printed for Patrick Anderson, [ ]2 A6 B2 A-2L6, in 12°, cc. [1], pp. 18 407 [1]. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1790, London, printed for J. Walker, in 12°, cc. [6], pp. 348. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1792, London, Law, Millar, Later, in 12°, pp. 345 [1]. Esemplare della British Library;
1798, London, Sibly, in 4°, cc. 37 [1]. Esemplare della British Library;
1799, London, pp. xii 348. Esemplare della University of London;
1801, Berwick, Richardson, in 12°, pp. 370. Esemplare della Wellcome Library;
1813, London, B. Lewis. Esemplare della National Library of Wales;
1814, London, Evans. Esemplare della Glasgow University;
1835, London, Kelly, in 4°, pp. 398, cc. [2]. Esemplare della Birmingham University;
1850, London, Kelly, in 4°, pp. 398. Esemplare della Birmingham University.
Nel 1674 Joseph Blagrave fece pubblicare un supplemento al testo originario di Culpepper, con il titolo Blagrave's supplement; or, enlargement, to Mr. Nich. Culpeper's English physician: Containing a description of the form, names, place, time, celestial government, and virtues, all such medicinal plants as grow in England, and are omitted in his book, called The English-physician. And supplying the additional virtues of such plants wherein he is defective. Also with the virtues of all drugs as are found in any part of the world, and brought to be sold in our druggists and apothecaries shops, with their dangers and corrections. By Joseph Blagrave of Reading, student in physick and astrology (London, Obladiah Blagrave). Esemplare della Aberdeen University. Il Supplement fu riedito nel 1677 dallo stesso Blagrave (esemplare della British Library).