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Facendo Il Libro: The Making of Fasciculus Medicinae, an Early Printed Anatomy
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Description
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The collection includes five editions of the Fasciculus Medicinae printed between the years of 1495 and 1522. The Fasciculus medicinae—literally, the “little bundle of medicine”—is a small group of independently-authored medical treatises and illustrations first printed in 1491. Remarkable as one of the earliest illustrated medical books to be printed, the Fasciculus was reprinted in dozens of different editions and translated into the major European vernacular languages into the 1520s. The Fasciculus also serves as an important witness to a dynamic period of change, reflecting both medieval medical ideas and new advances spurred by the humanistic surge associated with the Renaissance. This is perhaps best illustrated by the inclusion of the first printed scene of human dissection, an indication of the growing importance of empirical investigations of the interior. The images attached to the Fasciculus are a blend of diagrams copied from medieval manuscripts alongside newer, narrative-based scenes demonstrating the modern taste for classical styles in figures and interiors.
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This digital collection was made possible by generous support from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
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Defense Against the Dark Arts
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Harry’s scar serves as a constant reminder that it is a dangerous world out there, with powerful wizards capable of great destruction. Familiarize yourself with these Defense-Against-the-Dark-Arts protections, and you’ll feel a little more confident about facing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…or at least develop some strategies for making it through class unscathed.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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Divination
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Advanced wizards eager to answer the question “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” may enjoy reading up on the fundamentals of divination, devoted to strategies for forecasting the future. In case you’re wondering if J.K. Rowling’s centaurs had a monopoly on the art, early modern natural philosophers like Robert Fludd were very much engaged in questions related to astrology and how the planets governed human outcomes.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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Blank Forms
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Blank forms include feeding instructions, case histories and vital statistics forms.
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Potions
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Professor Snape reminds his students at the beginning of class that potions are not just a lot of wand-waving, but begin with careful attention to ingredients and technique. His recipes rely on a number of plant- and animal-based ingredients, many commonly found in early modern books. Antidotes and spells can be found in a variety of genres in the Academy Library’s collection, including cookbooks, herbals, and natural histories.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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The Illustrations
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Explore the illustrations from the Fasciculus Medicinae and discover how each edition presented a given illustration.
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Care of Magical Creatures
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J.K. Rowling’s series, much like sixteenth- and seventeenth-century natural histories, contains many beasts and mysterious creatures, ranging from the recognizable to the fantastic. During that time period, people relied on accounts of travelers and seafarers who documented the exotic creatures they encountered. Study up on these, and you’ll be able to list the differences between the basilisk (a mythical reptile) and your garden-variety snake.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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Herbology
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The Academy Library’s collection is particularly strong in early herbals, especially medical botany. In the fifteenth century, printers often used the same woodblocks to illustrate a wide range of plants; a century later, plants are illustrated with much greater attention to detail and accuracy.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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From Basilisks to Bezoars: The Surprising History of Harry Potter’s Magical World
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This collection celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by showcasing rare books and objects dating back to the fifteenth century that reveal the history behind many of the creatures, plants and other magical elements that appear in the Harry Potter series—from mandrakes to basilisks to Nicholas Flamel and the philosopher’s stone itself. The collection is organized as a fictional study aid for Hogwarts students preparing for their important wizardry exams, the O.W.L.s, with content relating to seven Hogwarts courses.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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Transfiguration
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A core class at Hogwarts for years 1-5, Transfiguration teaches young wizards the art of changing the appearance and characteristics of an object. This course has historical roots in the practice of alchemy, embraced by a diverse group of scientific investigators interested since the Fall of Rome in changing base metals into gold and achieving the philosopher’s stone, rumored to secure eternal life. The practice of alchemy continued through the eighteenth century.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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William S. Ladd Collection of Prints
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The William S. Ladd Collection of Prints consists of 671 prints, primarily portraits, dating from the 17th century through the early 19th century. In 1975, the Academy accepted the Ladd Collection as a gift from the Cornell University Medical College. William S. Ladd, the original donor, had been Dean of the Medical College and when his significant collection of prints came into the Medical College Library, Erich Meyerhoff, the Librarian, recognized its research value and the fact that such a collection properly belonged in a major research library. With the permission of the Dean of the Cornell University Medical College and the donor’s son, Dr. Anthony T. Ladd, Eric Meyerhoff offered the collection to the Academy. It was accepted and arrived in the Malloch Rare Book Room (now the Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room) in May of 1975.
The prints themselves had been accumulated in the first half of the 20th century by William S. Ladd. He had purchased a great many of them as deaccessioned duplicates from the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Primarily portraits of significant and lesser known figures in medicine and science, the prints span a period from the early 17th century to the first half of the 19th century. The printing processes used to render the various images include etching, engraving, stipple, mezzotint, and lithography. Among the etchers, engravers, artists and lithographers are some very famous names, a history in fact of English and Continental art and printmaking, with a smattering of American efforts among the lot. For example, the portrait of John Syng Dorsey (1783-1818), a little known American surgeon who rated a footnote in Fielding Garrison’s An Introduction To The History Of Medicine, is an engraving after a painting by Thomas Sully (1783-1872). Sully, who had studied with Gilbert Stuart and Benjamin West, is best known for his famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware. The portrait of Charles Lucas (1713-1792), an Irish physician who did not even get a footnote in Garrison’s work, was engraved by James McArdell after a painting by Joshua Reynolds. James McArdell was an engraver who specialized in mezzotints. ...READ MORE
The New York Academy of Medicine Library and the William S. Ladd Collection of Prints digitization was supported in part by funds from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program. Ladd, William S. The William S. Ladd Collection of Prints, ca. 1600 to ca. 1850.
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History of Magic
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The Academy Library’s card catalog, in service since the late nineteenth century, has a drawer devoted to witchcraft. Witches were pursued in earnest in Europe for centuries, culminating in the witch trials of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The historical record offers many accounts of occult practices and witch-hunting manuals.
Attention to magical tricks-of-the-trade, over time, will serve you well in your studies, and may prove to have practical applications.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
