AVIGNON. - Lot 40

Lot 40
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AVIGNON. - Lot 40
AVIGNON. An important apothecary’s ledger belonging to Maître Demeine, concerning the medical treatments of a lady of high rank. Manuscript on paper, approximately 8 folios in-4, covering the years 1656 to 1669, with a closing entry dated Avignon, March 20, 1669. Numerous references to pharmaceutical preparations, compounded prescriptions, and detailed accounts. Original file folder preserved, bearing the inscription: “Fine apothecary’s account by Maître Demeine—Avignon—1656–1669—very important document.” An exceptional 17th-century medical and pharmaceutical record tracing, over more than thirteen years, the supplies dispensed to a single patient. The ledger details several dozen preparations and remedies in accordance with the scholarly pharmacopoeia of the time. Notably included are: laxatives and purgatives; opiates; cordial lotions; electuaries; enemas; poultices; distilled waters; compound syrups; preparations made from roses, chicory, marshmallow, plantain, borage, and sweet clover; theriacs; cordial and stomachic remedies; preparations made from cinchona bark before its widespread use. The document is a first-rate record of daily medical practice during the reign of Louis XIV. The numerous recipes and formulations allow for the study of the actual treatments administered to a patient over a long period, which remains rare. The chronological continuity of the record, its substantial volume, and the diversity of the preparations make it a key reference document for the history of pharmacy, medicine, and healthcare practices in the 17th century. Avignon, 1656–1669.
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