Rare 3rd edition of the Dutch translation of a popular work on medicinal herbs, plants, minerals etc. with recipes. It starts with the Theatrum sympateticum, divided into two parts, by the English diplomat and philosopher Kenelm Digby (1603-1665). The first contains notes on medicinal herbs and plants curing everyday ailments, the second explains how to make the "powder of sympathy", "a potion which allowed the healing of the wound by treating the weapon which caused it" (MacDonald), and includes extracts from works by Papinius and Sylvester Rattrat. The powder of sympathy could also be put on a bandage that had been in contact with the wound, without ever touching the wound. Digbys work is followed by 't Groote licht der natuurkunde by Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), a work on magnetic forces and the influence of the moon, sun and planets on the earth. The book closes with extracts from Digby's memoirs containing recipes for "new" medicines, including mostly household and cosmetic recipes, like face powder for women and water to whiten teeth. The first Dutch edition was published in 1681.
With bookplate of Kenneth Garth Huston (1926-1987), physician, book collector and bibliographer of Digby on the front paste-down. Hinges weak, with a very small wormhole in the outer margin of pp. 127-320 of the first part and the entire second part, not affecting the text, with some wormholes in the upper-outer corner of the leaves of the bladwyser and the index of the second part affecting the text and in some leaves repared with paper. Caillet 10601; DNB V, 970; DSB IV, 95-6 ; Ferguson, Bib. chem., I, pp. 212-213; cf: Duveen pp. 172-173 & 574; Muller, Pop. proza 763 (2nd ed. 1697); De Vries, Pop. proza 473 (idem).