Facendo Il Libro: The Making of Fasciculus Medicinae, an Early Printed Anatomy

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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.

Fasciculo de medicina : collectorio universalissimo chiamado Fasciculo de medicina, extracto dalla achademia...[1522]
Fasciculo de medicina : collectorio universalissimo chiamado Fasciculo de medicina, extracto dalla achademia...[1522]
The Arrivabeni published two editions in 1522, one in Latin and the second in Italian. This edition, in Italian, is likely the second edition published that year by the printers.
Fasciculus medicine : similitudo complexionum & elementorum. [1500]
Fasciculus medicine : similitudo complexionum & elementorum. [1500]
The sixth edition of the Fasciculus, and the fifth printed in Venice, also by the brothers Gregorii in Latin. The edition uses the same blocks as the 1495 edition, with some minor modifications of the plates. The edition adds a new treatise by Rhazes on children’s diseases. This is the only edition of our five with colored plates, and is bound with Savonarola's Practica medicinae.
Fasciculus medicine ... tractans de anothomia et diversis infirmitatibus, et corporis humani...[1513]
Fasciculus medicine ... tractans de anothomia et diversis infirmitatibus, et corporis humani...[1513]
The eleventh edition of the Fasciculus, printed by Gregorio de Gregorii and featuring Latin Gothic type. The size of the printed page is much larger than in all other editions apart from 1491; as a consequence, the plates are less clipped by the binder (though the blocks themselves are abbreviated). Our copy lacks the frontispiece plate and the urinoscopic consultation plate.
Fasciculus medicine in quo continentur : videlicet. [1495]
Fasciculus medicine in quo continentur : videlicet. [1495]
This is the fourth edition of the Fasciculus and the third printed in Venice (after 1491 and 1493 editions both also by the Brothers Gregorii). It was printed in Latin and reset in Gothic type. In this edition, the page is shorter by four lines, resulting in plates that are too large and in many cases, clipped by the binder. This is the earliest edition with a real title page. Our copy lacks the urinoscopic consultation plate and the plate showing the circle of urine glasses.
The Illustrations
The Illustrations
Explore the illustrations from the Fasciculus Medicinae and discover how each edition presented a given illustration.
Queste sono le cose contenute in questo dignissimo Fasciculo di medicina vulgare :... [1509]
Queste sono le cose contenute in questo dignissimo Fasciculo di medicina vulgare :... [1509]
The ninth edition of the Fasciculus, printed in Italian in Milan (all other editions featured here are Venetian). The edition was printed by Giovanni de Castellione at the expense of Giovanni de Legnano and his brothers. While both plates and texts are taken from the Venice, 1493 edition, the plates have been reversed and introduce a number of variations. The plate with the circle of urine glasses is colored to correspond to their textual descriptions.