Rare first edition of a remarkable Latin medical manual by the French surgeon Pierre Pigray (ca. 1532-1613), also known as Petrus Pigraeus. Drawing on decades of practical experience and the teachings of his mentor, the well-known Ambroise Paré (1510-1590), Pigray offers a comprehensive guide to surgery, diseases, wounds, fractures, and other medical conditions.
The Epitome includes striking case studies: a man who believed a witch had caused his impotence, a group of accused witches, and a girl purportedly possessed by the devil. These cases reveal Pigrays sceptical yet operating within a medical and legal framework that accepted the reality of a magical worldview. Through these examples, Pigray explores the interaction between natural and preternatural realms while demonstrating concern for professional ethics, patient care, and the honour and psychological wellbeing of his patients.
The work was originally published in French in 1609, and soon followed by numerous subsequent editions throughout the 17th century.
With the bookplate of physician J. J. Ballard mounted on the verso of the first flyleaf, numbered "265", the number 265 is also present as an inscription on the title page, together with the initials "BM", and a manuscript annotation on the last flyleaf by Simon Barbuot, dated 1627. The vellum is slightly soiled, with some loss of material in the back, showing the cardboard underneath. A loss in the outer margin of pp. 49 and 65, not affecting the text. Otherwise in good condition. Krivatsy 8997; Wellcome I, 5038; cf. Petry, "Many Things Surpass our Knowledge: An Early Modern Surgeon on Magic, Witchcraft and Demonic Possession", in: Social history of medicine 25.1 (2012): 47-64.