Tractatus de Herbis

The Tractatus de Herbis is an illustrated treatise of medicinal

plants painted in 1440. It is housed under shelfmark Sloane
4016 in the British Library, in London.

Contents
Background
Tractatus de Herbis
Description
Reproductions
Notes
References
Bibliography

Background
The Medieval medicine of Western Europe was much influenced by the
many groups who contributed to the make-up of society. The contributions
of Byzantine, Arabic and Mozarabic physicians were introduced into the
Greek foundational texts of medicine, as was also the knowledge of people
from further afield across the borders of the western world. Among the
many results of this multiplicity of ethnic groups and cultures, medicinal
plants had many different names coming from the several groups who were
using them to prepare remedies. Such diversity was a source of confusions.
To avoid the danger possibly generated by confusion between plants,
apothecaries and physicians compiled dictionaries of plant names and
commissioned albums with representations of the plants and other materia
medica (animal and mineral) they used in their daily medical practice.[1]
Castanea sativa (sweet
The Tractatus de Herbis is one such work linking the different plant names
chestnut) and castoreum
to the plants themselves through the mediation of the image. This made it
(f. 28r)[a]
possible to avoid confusion and, consequently, the risk of administering to a
patient a plant different from the one prescribed by the physician. The
Tractatus was produced to enable physicians, apothecaries and others
identify the plants they used regardless of their nationality and language.[2] the earliest surviving version,
from the early 14th century (before 1330)[3] and now known as Egerton 747, and in the British Library
was relatively unknown till 1950, following which it was realised that there was a whole family of herbals
with a common ancestor, which became collectively known as the Tractatus de herbis. These fall into two
main groups, The North Italian Group (including BL(British Library) Sloane 4016[4] and the French group
(including BL Egerton 747).[5][6]
In some manuscripts, such illustrative albums do not contain any text, but only the names of the plants in
the language of the several groups present in medieval society. These albums with multilingual lists of plant
names were visual aids which allowed for easy identification of the plants to be used in the practice of
remedial therapy. Their representations of materia medica were much more efficient than words to make
transcultural exchanges possible.[1]

These illustrated works transformed the whole field of botanical literature. From translators/interpreters
aimed to make it possible to associate one plant with its names in different languages and populations, they
became reference works which made unnecessary to include plant representations in botanical and medical
treatises. They became reference works of a new type which could be consulted and used by readers of any
language.[1]

Description
The Egerton manuscript, the earliest version and acquired by the British
Museum in 1839, is incomplete.[7] The Sloane manuscript is a volume with
109 folios of large parchment, (365  mm x 265  mm) It is illustrated with
nearly 500 polychrome representations of plants, animals and minerals,
which were all used as primary materials to produce drugs.

These illustrations also include some people (ff. 2r, 44v, 98v), a mummy (f.
62r), animals’ parts (antlers, for example, on f. 34v), and manufactured by-
products (wax, f. 30r).
Though this manuscript lacks a signature, colophon,
or any indication of its provenance or date, it has traditionally been
considered to be of North Italian origin, most likely from the Lombardy
region from about 1440 judging from its Gothic-style script. Later, it
belonged to the Marquis of Magny, Nicolas-Joseph Foucault (1643-1721),
then to the English collector Hans Sloane (1660-1753), before it became Garden onion; yellow wax;
part of the collections of the British Museum in 1839.[4] cherries (f. 30r)

Reproductions

In 2002 the Folio Society reproduced the Tractatus de Herbis in a numbered limited edition of 1000,
accompanied by a commentary volume written by Minta Collins with list of plants compiled by Sandra
Raphael. In 2011 the Spanish publishing house M. Moleiro Editor produced a facsimile edition of the
Tractatus de Herbis. This edition limited to 987 copies comes with a companion volume by Historian of
Science and Medicine Alain Touwaide of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions (http://med
icaltraditions.org) and the (Smithsonian Institution).

Notes
a. Apparently the artist has confused his animals in this picture, with his drawing of a deer-like
creature. "Beavers and musk deers were sought after for castoreum and musk, respectively.
The secretions from their anal glands (sometimes confused with their testicles) were used in
medicine as well as in cosmetics. Ancient legend had it that when the beaver sensed he
was about to be captured in a hunt, he would voluntarily castrate himself to elude capture. It
is this story which this illustration in f. 28r tries to render."[1]

References
 1. Touwaide 2011. 5. BL 2022b.
2. PDR 2014. 6. Collins 2000, p. 239.
3. Collins 2000, p. 240. 7. Collins 2000, p. 241.
4. BL 2022a.

Bibliography
Collins, Minta (2000). "The Tractatus de Herbis". Medieval Herbals: The Illustrative
Traditions (https://books.google.com/books?id=s7c2EaxDYjUC&pg=PA239). University of
Toronto Press. pp. 239–298. ISBN 978-0-8020-8313-5.
Touwaide, Alain (2011). "Commentary: Tractatus de Herbis - Sloane 4016 The British
Library, London" (https://www.moleiro.com/en/books-of-medicine/tractatus-de-herbis.html#de
scripcionarticle). Facsimile books: Books of Medicine. M. Moleiro. Retrieved 20 January
2022.
PDR (22 April 2014). "Tractatus de Herbis (ca.1440)" (https://publicdomainreview.org/collecti
on/tractatus-de-herbis-ca-1440). Collections / Images. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
British Library
BL (2022a). "Detailed record for Sloane 4016" (http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedm
anuscripts/record.asp?MSID=7796&CollID=9&NStart=4016). Catalogue of Illuminated
Manuscripts. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
BL (2022b). "Detailed record for Egerton 747" (http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedm
anuscripts/record.asp?MSID=8319&CollID=28&NStart=747). Catalogue of Illuminated
Manuscripts. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

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