AA. VV. - Manoscritto Medico - 1743

Manual of Domestic Medicine: The Transition from Galenic to Empirical Practice
This medical manuscript dated 1743 is set in the heart of the 18th century, during a crucial transitional phase between Galenic tradition and the emergence of increasingly empirical, observational, and pragmatic medicine. The work gathers therapeutic formulas, pharmaceutical recipes, clinical indications, and operational notes in Latin and vernacular French, revealing a hybrid knowledge intended more for daily use than for theoretical speculation. The manuscript is not conceived as a treatise but as a living working tool, continuously consulted, updated, and adapted to the concrete needs of care.
Market value
Medical manuscripts dated to the 18th century, especially those of a practical nature and not derived from printed texts, are increasingly valued in the antiquarian market. Comparable, complete, and legible specimens generally range between 1,000 and 2,000 euros, with higher valuations in the presence of an explicit dating, a coherent organic structure, and detailed therapeutic content.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary leather binding, raised bands on the spine, some abrasions, scuffs, and signs of use. Composed of 372 handwritten pages on wove paper, with texts in brown ink. Pages with some stains and physiological halos. Writing with variations in handwriting and ink suggesting progressive additions. In ancient books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 372; (18); 4 pages.

Full title and author
Miscellaneous medical manuscript
France, 1743
Dear all

Context and Significance
Dated to 1743, the manuscript places itself at a time when European medicine was undergoing a profound transformation: humoral theory was still operative but increasingly complemented by an experimental approach and a systematized herbal pharmacology. The language alternates between technical Latin, still essential for classifying remedies, and practical French, intended for carrying out treatments. The numerous recipes for syrups, decoctions, enemas, and emulsions reflect a medicine focused on the body’s daily needs, attentive to symptoms and balance rather than abstract diagnosis. The manuscript is a direct testimony of applied medicine within the domestic or semi-professional context of the eighteenth century.

Biography
The author remains anonymous, but the level of linguistic and technical competence suggests a practicing doctor, an apothecary, or a surgeon with academic training. The ability to adapt standard formulas, note variants, and modulate remedies based on circumstances indicates a practical rather than theoretical profile. It is plausible that the manuscript was used and expanded over time as a professional notebook.

Printing History
Manuscripts of this kind were not intended for printing but for private circulation or personal use. In the 18th century, they coexist with large printed medical treatises, serving as complementary and personalized tools. This very function makes them rare and of great historical interest today, as each copy is essentially unique.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Wellcome Library, Early Modern and Enlightenment Medical Manuscripts
French medical manuscripts from the 18th century (BnF)
A. Wear, Medical Practice in Enlightenment Europe
L. García-Ballester, Galenism and its Transformations
M. Foucault, Birth of the Clinic