VALASCUS DE TARENTA (c.1382–c.1417). Practica, quae alias Philonium dicitur. – JOHANNES DE TORNAMIRA (fl. 15th century). Introductorium ad practicam medicinae. [Lyons]: Nicolaus Wolf, 10 March 1500/01. [With:] PARTIBUS, Jacobus de (c.1380–1458). Summula per alphabetum super plurimis remediis ex ipsius Mesue libris excerptis. [Lyons: Nicolaus Wolf, c.1500.]

Extremely rare treatises on Renaissance medicine and surgery. RBH records no copies of either medical writing. The first work is the fourth edition of Valascus’ Philonium augmented by the first appearance in print of Johannes de Tornamira's Introduction to the Practice of Medicine and here bound with the first and only edition of Partibus’ Summula per alphabetum. The Philonium earned its author the title of first physician to Charles VI of France (Hirsch/Hüb I 302). The Summula is an alphabetically arranged summary of prescriptions compiled from the works of Mesue by Partibus, a physician in ordinary to Charles VII. It features two full-page woodcuts of the body, including an early skeletal diagram. Only five copies of the Summula are known in public institutions globally (ISTC). I: HC *15252; BMC VIII 332; BSB-Ink V-5; GW M49062; Goff V-8; Klebs 1010.4; ISTC iv00008000. II: GW M29508; Goff P-123; Klebs 331.1; ISTC ip00123000.

Chancery quarto (197 × 132mm). 368 leaves (first work); 10 leaves (second work). Title-page with printer’s woodcut device printed in red, two full-page woodcut illustrations in the Summula of an anatomical man and a skeleton, the Summula is bound in between the Practica’s table of contents and main text (title dampstained, marginal dampstain in a few quires, woodcut on A7v with eye gouged out, intermittent soiling, text block cracked before x1, tiny wormhole touching letters starting at S1). 17th-century vellum, morocco spine label, edges stained red (stains, spine label chipped, front free endpaper missing). Provenance: few instances of manicules and early marginalia (some trimmed) – [bookplate removed].