Signa pronostica, by Ricardus Anglicus, 14th century

Ff. 1-17 of MS 174 contain Signa pronostica, a text that circulated in medieval manuscripts usually as part of a larger medical compendium known as the Micrologus. The Micrologus was the work of a Richardus [or Ricardus] Anglicus who was working at the famous medieval medical school in Montpellier, probably around the end of the twelfth century, or beginning of the thirteenth century. Very little is known about this Richardus Anglicus, but his approach to medicine in the Microloguc generally, including the Signa pronostica was to distill large quantities of medical theory into a practical and accessible format that could be applied by not just those who were university-trained physicians. The Signa pronostica text in particular deals with identifying signs of disease.