Curio - Conservandae sanitatis - 1559

Curio Johann / de Villanova Arnaldo

Conservandae sanitatis praecepta saluberrima

Frankfurt - 1559 -
At the heirs of Chr. Egenolphi

(12), 279, (1) c.
Sign: alpha8 *4 A-Z8 a-m8

FAMOUS TREATISE ON FOOD AND DIET “REGIMEN SANITATIS SALERNITANUM”,
WRITTEN FOR THE ENGLISH KING BY THE SALERNO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

Complete copy, enriched by a wonderful Renaissance binding in full contemporaneous leather on wooden boards, with very rich decorations.
Hinges and clasp pins intact and fully functional

With 60 woodcuts adorning the text, by Beham and Schauffelein, depicting herbs, plants, seasons, foods and scenes of daily life.
VD 16, R 579
ADAMS S 106
DURLING 3812
WELLCOME 5376

The dietary-cooking treatise developed by the Salerno medical school and here reworked by the Erfurt physician, Curio.
It discusses health and therapies, with sections on food, air, beverages, movement, rest, sleep, dreams, emotions and excretion.

Notable passages of text in German and Greek.

Engaging and clearly enunciated text of this medically oriented work splendidly illustrated on the
“Regimen sanitatis,” i.e., on how to live a healthy life.

The Latin text is accompanied by a German translation by Curio and completed by the important commentary of the Spanish physician and reformer Arnoldo de Villanova (1240/1311).

The “Regimen” was a collection of instructions on how to preserve good health, including the
“hygienic and dietary rules, simple therapies and other instructions intended more for laypeople than for the medical profession.”

The treatise was, however, memorized by thousands of physicians and, after the invention of printing, published in almost 300 editions, both in Latin and in several vernacular languages (Descendants of Hippocrates).

Several sections are illustrated by fascinating and popular woodcuts that show, for example, a man napping in a chair, followed by descriptive verses in Latin, explaining that afternoon naps should be brief or nonexistent, as they can cause phlegm, sluggishness, fever and headaches.
They also state general dietary habits (including wine and water consumption), various types of foods and herbs (depicted delightfully), and physical exercise.

Splendid and rare (especially in this state of preservation) Renaissance full-leather binding on wooden boards, with extremely rich and refined decorations on the covers in multiple frames, featuring fleurons, phytomorphic drawings and depictions of human busts, still well pressed in dry-stamped ink, with only slight wear at the headcaps.
Present, integral and perfectly functioning original hinges and clasps.

Excellent preservation of the interior, with fresh and clean leaves, including the 60 woodcuts contained in the text.
Occasional browning and very light marginal specks on a few leaves.
Ancient ex-libris of various hands on the title page, with two-color printing (red/black).
Original flyleaves preserved (the final ones double).
Ancient monastic stamp, with a small archival placement paper attached to the front flyleaf.
The covers show durability when opening the volume and it was preferred not to force the opening to preserve the exceptional state of preservation.

A superb museum-quality copy, complete and original in every respect.
COLLATION. COMPLETE