Nobleville - Le Manuel des Dames de Charité - 1758

Very beautiful 1758 edition of the Manual of the Charitable Ladies, a precious testimony of domestic medicine and philanthropy in the Enlightenment era. Intended for charitable works, this volume gathers simple medicinal recipes and preparations, enabling the charitable ladies to treat indigent patients with the means available at the time.

Published in a context where aid to the poor largely relies on private initiatives, this manual illustrates the essential role of women in disseminating care and daily medical practices. It sits in the tradition of remedy collections, halfway between empirical knowledge and learned medicine, before the full professionalization of the discipline.

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NOBLEVILLE (Arnaud De) - The Manual of the Charitable Ladies or Formulas of Medicines Easy to Prepare...

Paris, 1758. Fourth edition.

Complete, 1 volume in-12 (480 pp.)

Full calfskin binding of the period in good condition. Spine with raised bands, beautifully ornamented, with title piece. Usual wear at corners and along the heads. Friction on the boards. Interior well preserved. Manuscript notes in pencil. Small scattered stains.

Good copy.