Galeno - Second Livre de Galien - 1558

Abscesses, swellings, tumors and other bodily misfortunes: Galen for everyday use
In the sixteenth century, especially in vernacular translations aimed at practitioners, it was very common to print only the second book, deemed more immediately useful in daily practice.
The Second Book of Galen to Glaucon is not the second volume of a mutilated work, but the second part of a conceptual diptych, transmitted autonomously and often printed separately in the Renaissance.
Galen of Pergamon wrote two distinct books addressed to Glaucon:
The first book deals with the general causes of apostemations (tumors, swellings, inflammations), with a more theoretical and pathophysiological approach.
The second book, however, addresses the classification, evolution, and treatment of already formed apostemations: it is the most clinical, practical, and 'usable' part for the physician.
The first book circulated separately, or it was not translated, or it was absorbed into broader Galenic collections, in Latin.
In the Lionese context, the Second Livre was considered therapeutically self-sufficient, and therefore editorially appealing even on its own.
This rare and elegant Lyonese edition of 1558 of the Second Livre de Galien à Glaucon represents one of the most significant moments in the Renaissance reception of Galen of Pergamon in vernacular French. Commented by Martin Akakia and translated by Guillaume Chrestien, the work makes accessible to a broader medical audience one of the fundamental texts of Galenic pathology, dedicated to apostemations and the so-called “tumors against nature.” Printed in Lyon by Benoît Rigaud and Jean Saugrain, this edition sits at the heart of the great Lyonnais publishing season of the sixteenth century, when medicine, philology and clinical practice meet in volumes of high typographic quality and solid professional purpose. The book testifies to a medicine still deeply theoretical, but already oriented toward the concrete management of the ill body.
Market value
In the antiquarian market, the sixteenth-century French editions of Galen's works, especially those printed in Lyon and explicitly intended for practicing physicians, maintain a steady and qualified demand. In this specific case, the good internal freshness, the completeness of the text, the well-executed vellum binding, and the relative rarity of the edition allow the commercial valuation of the specimen, in the current context of the European market, to fall within an indicative range of €1,200 to €1,600, with possible variations depending on the collecting interest in Renaissance medicine in the vernacular and in Lyon production.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COMPLETE
In the sixteenth century, especially in vernacular translations intended for practitioners, it was very common to print only the second book, considered more immediately useful in daily practice; the first book circulated separately, or was not translated, or was absorbed into broader Galenic collections in Latin.
Spine bound in full leather. Ownership signatures erased on the title page. There are some pagination errors due to printing, a phenomenon not uncommon in Lyon editions of the period, and some scattered browning. In ancient books, with a centuries-long history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 242; 8nn; (8).

Full title and author
The second book of Galen.
Lyon, by Benoît Rigaud & Iean Saugrain, 1558.
Galen of Pergamon.

Context and Significance
Galen's treatise addressed to Glaucon occupies a central role in ancient pathological theory, addressing the theme of apostemations as a visible and corporeal manifestation of internal humoral imbalances. Its dissemination in the French vernacular in the 16th century responded to a growing need for practical medicine, grounded in classical authority yet applicable to everyday clinical practice, outside the exclusive confines of Latin universities. Lyon, a European hub for medical and pharmaceutical presses, emerged as the ideal setting for this type of publication, capable of combining doctrinal rigor, clarity of exposition, and professional utility. The 1558 edition testifies to Galen's full integration into Renaissance medical knowledge, not as an author of the past, but as a living guide to the understanding, classification, and management of disease.

Biography of the Author
Galen of Pergamon was born in 129 AD and died around 216 AD. He was a physician, surgeon, and philosopher, considered, along with Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine. His theoretical system, based on the balance of the humors, anatomy, and clinical observation, dominated European and Islamic medicine for over a millennium. During the Renaissance, his works were at the center of a vast movement of translation, commentary, and popularization, becoming the cornerstone of university medical teaching and professional practice.

Printing history and circulation
Lyon editions of Galen's works were numerous in the 16th century, but their preservation is uneven, as they were intended for intensive use by physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries. The typographical partnership between Benoît Rigaud and Jean Saugrain ensured widespread circulation and reliable typographic quality, with a particular focus on vernacular medical texts. Complete, well-preserved copies are now significantly less common than the original production, partly due to the professional wear and tear to which these volumes were subjected.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Durling, R. J., Galen: A Bibliography of Early Editions and Translations, London, 1961, nos. pertinent to the French edition of 1558.
USTC, Record of the Lyon Editions of Galen, Lyon 1558.
ICCU – OPAC SBN, reports of Galenic translations into the vernacular.
BnF, notices relating to Benoît Rigaud and Jean Saugrain.
Siraisi, N. G., Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine, Chicago, 1990, pp. 140–158.
Wear, A., Knowledge and Practice in Early Modern European Medicine, Cambridge, 2000, pp. 67–72.