The ''Hortus Sanitatis'' (also written ''Ortus'';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for ''The Garden of Health''), a Latin natural history

encyclopaedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

, was published by Jacob Meydenbach in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, Germany in 1491. It describes species in the natural world along with their medicinal uses and modes of preparation. It followed the Latin ''

Herbarius moguntinus ''Herbarius moguntinus'' (Mainzer Herbal Book) or (according to his preface referred to as) ''Aggregator practicus de simplicibus'' is an illustrated Latin herbal which was edited and printed in 1484 by Peter Schöffer in Mainz (Latin: moguntia). ...

'' (1484) and the German ''

Gart der Gesundheit The ''Gart der Gesundheit'' ( Early German for Latin ''hortus sanitatis'') was edited in 1485. It was written by Johann Wonnecke von Kaub and it is one of the first printed herbals in German. It was often reprinted until the 18th century. The '' ...

'' (1485), that

Peter Schöffer Peter Schöffer or Petrus Schoeffer (c. 1425 – c. 1503) was an early German printer, who studied in Paris and worked as a manuscript copyist in 1451 before apprenticing with Johannes Gutenberg and joining Johann Fust, a goldsmith, lawyer, and m ...

had published in Mainz. Unlike these earlier works, besides dealing with herbs, the ''Hortus sanitatis'' deals with animals, birds, fish and stones too. Moreover the author does not restrict himself to dealing only with real creatures, but also includes accounts of

mythical animals A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical account ...

such as the dragon, harpy, hydra, myrmecoleon,

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, and zitiron.

Author

The author is unknown. Occasionally the Frankfurt physician Johann Wonnecke von Kaub is incorrectly named as the author.

Set in two columns, the work contains five sections describing simple drugs used for therapy: # De Herbis with 530 chapters on herbs. # De Animalibus with 164 chapters on land animals (Chapter 1: De homo). # De Avibus with 122 chapters on birds and other airworthy animals. # De Piscibus with 106 chapters on aquatic animals. # De Lapidibus with 144 chapters on semi-precious stones, ores and minerals. :: As appendix a treatise on

uroscopy Uroscopy is the historical medical practice of visually examining a patient's urine for pus, blood, or other symptoms of disease. The first records of uroscopy as a method for determining symptoms of an illness date back to the 4th millennium BC, ...

and several detailed registers. Set in two columns, each chapter is headed by a picture. The following text gives a general description of the related simple drug and under the title of »oparetiones« a list of its effects on the human body. The plants of the section "De Herbis" were determined by B. and H. Baumann (2010, pp. 205-222) according to current binominal nomenclature.

Sources

The author has composed the ''Hortus sanitatis'' out of well-known medieval encyclopaedias, such as the '' Liber pandectarum medicinae omnia medicine simplicia continens'' of

Matthaeus Silvaticus Matthaeus Silvaticus or Mattheus Sylvaticus (c. 1280 – c. 1342) was a medieval Latin medical writer and botanist. His Life and Encyclopedia Matthaeus Silvaticus was born in northern Italy, probably Mantua. He was a student and teacher in botan ...

(14th c.) and the '' Speculum natural'' of

Vincent of Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

(13th century). The text of

at the end of the '' Hortus sanitatis '' was borrowed from a text that circulated in numerous manuscripts under the names of »Zacharias de Feltris« or »Bartholomew of Montagna«. A Latin manuscript, dated 1477, which already contains the textual core of ''Hortus sanitatis'', was initially regarded as a possible template for the printing, but is now held for an independent copy of a Latin »circa-instans-manuscript«.

Publication history

Incunabule * Mainz. Jacob Meydenbach (June 23) 1491 * Strasbourg. Anonymous 1496 * Strasbourg. Anonymous 1497-1498 (with woodcuts from the workshop of Johann Grüninger, which were also used to illustrate the '' Kleines Destillierbuch'' of

Hieronymus Brunschwig Hieronymus Brunschwig or Hieronymus Brunschwygk (c. 1450c. 1512) was a German surgeon ("Wundarzt"), alchemist and botanist. He was notable for his methods of treatment of gunshot wounds and for his early work on distillation techniques. His most i ...

(1500). * Strasbourg. Anonymous 1499 (Johann Prüß der Ältere?) * Paris. Antoine Vérard 1500 ''Ortus sanitatis translate de latin en françois'' 16th century * Strasbourg after 1500 (with woodcuts from the workshop of Hans Grüninger). * Venice (Bernhardinus Benalius and John de Cereto de Tridino) 1511 (4th reprint: Venice 1611); Reprint (in two volumes) Würzburg 1978. * Strasbourg 1517 * Paris 1539 Phillipe le Noir ''Le jardin de santé'' Sections two to five of the ''Hortus sanitatis'' (section one – herbs – lacking). Latin * Strasbourg. Matthias Apiarius 1536 Sections two to five of the ''Hortus sanitatis'' (section one – herbs – lacking). German * Straßburg 1529. Hans Grüninger * Straßburg 1529. Balthasar Beck. ''Gart der gesuntheit. zu latin …'' * Straßburg 1536. Mathias Apiarius. ''Gart der gesuntheit zů latein …'' * Frankfurt 1556. Hermann Gülfferich. ''Gart der Gesundtheyt Zu Latein …'' An English version of extracts from the ''Hortus'', the ', was produced in 1491 by Laurence Andrew (fl. 1510–1537). A facsimile edition of this was published in London in 1954 by B. Quaritch.

Illustrations

The

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas tha ...

illustrations are stylised but often easily recognizable, and many were re-used in other works. In addition to the representations of simples, pictures show their use by humans, and scenes in which figures are surrounded by the subjects in their natural environment, such as standing by a river with fish and mermaids.

Illustrations. Mainz 1491

I, 43 Arbor vel lignum vite paradisi.jpg, Book I, chapter 43. ..... Arbor vel lignum vite paradisi Butirum-84a.jpg, Book I, chapter 84. Butirum –

Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...

Caseus1.jpg, Book I, chapter 153. Caseus – Cheese Fenum1.jpg, Book I, chapter 192. Fenum –

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

I, 221 Hauser vel hausor.jpg, Book I, chapter 221. Hauser vel hausor Lac-Milch1.jpg, Book I, chapter 269. ..... Lac –

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

Manna Hortus.jpg, Book I, chapter 275.

Manna Manna ( he, מָן, mān, ; ar, اَلْمَنُّ; sometimes or archaically spelled mana) is, according to the Bible, an edible substance which God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert during the 40-year period follow ...

Mandragora vir Hortus 1491a.jpg, Book Buch I, chapter 276. Mandragora vir Mandragora femina Hortus 1491a.jpg, Book I, chapter 277. Mandragora femine Mel-Honig1.jpg, Book I, chapter 292. ..... Mel –

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

I, 298 Mirra.jpg, Book I, chapter 298. ..... Mirra I, 307 Narcissus.jpg, Book I, chapter 307. Narcissus Hortus Panis.jpg, Book I, chapter 382. Panis – Bread Sapo-Seife1.jpg, Book I, chapter 463. ..... Sapo –

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

Thus-Weihrauch1.jpg, Book I, chapter 484. ..... Thus – Frankincense Vinum-Wein1.jpg, Book I, chapter 510. Vinum –

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

Hortus Arbor paradisi.jpg, Book I, chapter 529.

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

under the Arbor paradisi Hortus De animalibus.jpg, Titlepage of the chapter ... »De animalibus« Homo-Mensch1.jpg, Book II, chapter 1. ..... Homo –

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

Asinus-Esel1.jpg, Book II, chapter 5. ..... Asinus – Donkey Pediculus-Laus1.jpg, Book II, chapter 119. Pediculus –

Head louse The head louse (''Pediculus humanus capitis'') is an obligate ectoparasite of humans. Head lice are wingless insects that spend their entire lives on the human scalp and feeding exclusively on human blood. Humans are the only known hosts of ...

Hortus 1491 Vipera.jpg, Book II, chapter 154. Vipera Unicornus-Einhorn1.jpg, Book II, chapter 155. Unicornus –

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

Hortus De avibus.jpg, Titlepage of the chapter ... »De avibus« Ova-Eier1.jpg, Book III, chapter 91. ..... Ova –

Eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

Hortus De piscibus.jpg, Titlepage of the chapter ... »De piscibus« Allec-Fischsuppe1.jpg, Book IV, chapter 3. ..... Allec –

Fish soup Fish soup is a food made by combining fish or seafood with vegetables and stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, formin ...

Mugil-Meeräsche1.jpg, Book IV, chapter 56. ..... Mugil – Mullet Hortus De lapidibus.jpg, Titlepage of the chapter ... »De lapidibus« Allectorius1.jpg, Book V, chapter 6. Allectorius – Stone in the liver of a

Capon A capon (from la, cāpō, genitive ''cāpōnis'') is a cockerel ( rooster) that has been castrated or neutered, either physically or chemically, to improve the quality of its flesh for food, and, in some countries like Spain, fattened by for ...

Arena-Sand1.jpg, Book V, chapter 12. Arena –

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

Argilla-Töpfererde1.jpg, Book V, chapter 13. Argilla –

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

Bolus armenus Hortus.jpg, Book V, chapter 16. Bolus –

Armenian bole Armenian bole, also known as bolus armenus or bole armoniac, is an earthy clay, usually red, native to Armenia but also found in other places. The term Armenian was later referred to a specific quality of the clay. Originally used in medication, it ...

Aurum-Gold1.jpg, Book V, chapter 18. Aurum –

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

Argentum-Silber1.jpg, Book V, chapter 20. Argentum –

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

Argentum vivum-Quecksilber1.jpg, Book V, chapter 21. Argentum vivum – Mercury Bezaar-Antidot1.jpg, Book V, chapter 24. Bezaar –

Bezoar A bezoar is a mass often found trapped in the gastrointestinal system, though it can occur in other locations. A pseudobezoar is an indigestible object introduced intentionally into the digestive system. There are several varieties of bezoar, s ...

Borax-Krötenstein1.jpg, Book V, chapter 27. ..... Borax –

Toadstone The toadstone, also known as bufonite (from Latin , "toad"), is a mythical stone or gem that was thought to be found in the head of a toad. It was supposed to be an antidote to poison and in this it is like batrachite, supposedly formed in the ...

Kalk-Calx.jpg, Book V, chapter 30. ..... Calx –

Calcium oxide Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term "''lime''" connotes calcium-containing inorganic ...

Chelidonius1.jpg, Book V, chapter 33. Celidonius – Stone in the stomac of swallows Cerusa-Bleiweiß1.jpg, Book V, chapter 35. Cerusa –

White lead White lead is the basic lead carbonate 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2. It is a complex salt, containing both carbonate and hydroxide ions. White lead occurs naturally as a mineral, in which context it is known as hydrocerussite, a hydrate of cerussite. It was ...

Cuprum-Kupfer1.jpg, Book V, chapter 46. Cuprum –

Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

Petroleum1.jpg, Book V, chapter 101. Petroleum –

Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

Sal-Salz1.jpg, Book V, chapter 124. ..... Sal –

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

Hortus Sal.jpg, Coulered copy Terra sigillata Hortus.jpg, Book V, chapter 130.

Terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips made in specific areas of ...

Hortus Uroscopie.jpg,

Uroscopy Uroscopy is the historical medical practice of visually examining a patient's urine for pus, blood, or other symptoms of disease. The first records of uroscopy as a method for determining symptoms of an illness date back to the 4th millennium BC, ...

Hortus Ärzte und Kranke.jpg, Physicians and patients

In culture

The

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

comments that "The rich variety of the woodcuts makes this a very attractive book. The engraver was a skilled craftsman, but there is some botanical retrogression, since he did not always fully understand the plants he was copying from previous cuts." A copy once owned by the

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

George Pavius of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

is held by the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

.The University of Aberdeen has a copy of "Hortius sanitas" owned by George Pavius (Georgius Pavius, 1596-1619). The book was also owned by Birney. AU ref Inc 3. Inscription: Magister Jacobus birny; Maist. Jameis birny. The item as the following inscription " ...Georgius pavius pharmacopoeus me iure possidet 1619 ex dono praepositi Abredonensis -- 1A1r. nunc ex dono praefecti Abredonensis anno 1619 die 20 martij datur Georgio pavio pharmacopoeo ; Georgius pavius pharmacopoeus me iure possidet 1619 -- 2E5v....".

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Arber, Agnes. ''Herbals. Their origin and evolution. A chapter in the History of Botany 1470-1670''. Cambridge University Press, 1912, pp. 25-34: ''The Hortus sanitatis'
(Digitalisat)
* Baumann, Brigitte and Baumann, Helmut: ''Die Mainzer Kräuterbuch-Inkunabeln – „Herbarius Moguntinus“ (1484) – „Gart der Gesundheit“ (1485) – „Hortus Sanitatis (1491).“ Wissenschaftshistorische Untersuchungen der drei Prototypen botanisch-medizinischer Leiteratur des Spätmittelalters.''. Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart 2010, pp. 177–222: ''Hortus sanitatis, Mainz, 23. Juni 1491'' * Fischer, Hermann. ''Mittelalterliche Pflanzenkunde.'' Verlag der Münchner Drucke, München 1929, pp. 94–109: ''Der große Hortus sanitatis (Mainz 1491)'' *

External links

''Hortus Sanitatis''
(1485)
''Hortus Sanitatis''
(1491)
Ortus Sanitatis
published 23 June 1491. A copy with coloured illustrations in

Cambridge Digital Library The Cambridge Digital Library is a project operated by the Cambridge University Library designed to make items from the unique and distinctive collections of Cambridge University Library available online. The project was initially funded by a donat ...

Ortus sanitatis
4th edition; 3rd Strasbourg edition. Published 1499 by J. Prüss in Strasbourg. Digitised copy in

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonwea ...

''Hortus sanitatis. Book IV. De Piscibus''
{{Authority control Herbals