Provenance: H S AYOVBVS blindtooled lower right corer of inside of back cover.

Greek text. 112 pages. 4to, 163x105 mm.

EDITIO PrINCEPS of the original Greek text of the anatomical portions (Books 24 and 25) of Oribasius's Synagogue, or Encyclopaedia of Medicine.

Book 25 especially contains several sections on tooth anatomy and disease; "Oribasius (316 to 403), the most celebrated of all the compilers who appeared during that long period of decadence, wrote, by order of the Emperor Julian the Apostate, whose physician and friend he was, a whole medical encyclopedia and later on a summary (synopsis) of this same work of his. In the books of Oribasius are found many things about dentition and diseases of the teeth, but they are all taken, substantially, from preceding authors, and therefore it is not worth while repeating them" (Guerini, 1909).

Oribasius, a fourth-century medical writer, physician and close friend of Julian the Apostate, compiled this medical encyclopaedia at Julian's command; it was originally in 70 books, most of which have perished. What remains of the work is very valuable on account of the numerous extracts from writers whose works are not extant (Garrison, History of Medicine, 122-123).

A Latin translation had appeard at the Aldine Press two years previously; the present EDITIO PRINCEPS is beautifully printed in Grecs du Roi, by G. Morel, who succeeded Robert Estienne as Royal Printer in Greek. Durling 3404; Wellcome 4650, Adams O-266.