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De anatomia vivorum, pseudo-Galen, late 13th century

 Part
Identifier: MS 166/ff. 253v-266r

Contents

The final text contained in MS 166 is De anatomia vivorum, a text that appears in medieval collections of Galenic texts, although it is not truly a work of that ancient Greek physcian and scholar. Due to some of the sources used within the treatise (Latin translations from Avicenna, Gerard of Cremona, and Razes), the text has been dated to roughly 1225. It also seems to have been composed in perhaps Paris or West Germany. It is a very early example of a medieval text that contains Aristotelian biological theory, by an anonymous author.

The treatise begins on f. 253v with the words, Medicorum anathomicos necesse est precognoscere quod humanum corpus cum sit compositum. It ends on f. 266r with: proximum est hepar et ita patet diversitas inter Galenum et Aristotelem. Explicit Anathomia.

Finally, a colophon on f. 266r reads: In vitium verti nimium fateor supra lite. Si studium non est nimium per tempora vite.

Writing

By the hand of the second scribe in MS 166.

Dates

  • Creation: late 13th century

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to all. The manuscripts can be consulted in the Centre for Research Collections, Edinburgh University Main Library.

Extent

14 folios

Bibliography

Michaelangiola Marchiaro, 'De anatomia vivorum: Anathomia'. Galeno: Catalogo delle Traduzioni Latine.

Creator

Subject

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

Contact:
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
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Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
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