Azzoguidi, Germano - La Spezieria Domestica - 1799

Full title: The Domestic Pharmacy. A useful little work for all who long to live long, and necessary for those who are far from a physician or a apothecary, as is often the case for those who live in the countryside, cloisters, colleges, etc., and for those who undertake land journeys, especially sea voyages
Rimino: published by Giacomo Marsoner, 1799, 152 pages. Author’s name, Germano Azzoguidi, at the end of the dedication, on page 4
Woodcut ornament (fruit vase) on the title page. Binding somewhat soiled, bumped. A few physiological signs of time as shown in the attached photographs, 2/3 small stains, minor pin-prick specks on the central white area in a few pages. In short, a specimen that has reached us in good condition to the present day.
Very rare.
The work follows the tradition of domestic medical manuals (Buchan, Tissot, Plenck), but with a more practical, travel-friendly angle.

1. Preface
Defense of health as a natural good.

Need to possess a “domestic apothecary”: a small set of ready remedies.

Description of the German “machines”: cases with vases, bottles and drawers for remedies.

2. Simple and compound remedies
Medicinal waters: Melissa, vulneraria, anodine.
Mineral remedies: antimony, vitriol, tartar, spirit of wine.
Herbal pharmacopoeia: rhubarb, quinine, ammoniac gum, arabic gum.
Galenic preparations: pills, powders, plasters, liqueurs, decoctions.

3. Clinical indications
Fever, convulsions, hydrophobia, poisonings.
Digestive disorders, hemorrhages, scurvy (central theme for sea voyages).
Instructions on dosages, timing, methods of administration.

4. Practical advice
Storage of remedies.
Signs of deterioration.
Precautions for travelers and sailors.

Historical significance
The work is a piece of popular medicine of the eighteenth century, at a moment when:
for example the Serenissima possessed a well-regulated network of apothecaries;
maritime journeys required manuals of first aid;
the medical culture swung between Galenism, Paracelsian chemistry, and early Boerhaavian influences.
Azzoguidi places himself among authors who strive to translate cultivated medicine into daily practices, with accessible language and a strong sense of usefulness.