Medical and Herbal Miscellany

The splendid medical miscellany, which is kept in the British Library under the shelfmark Sloane MS 1975, is an exceptionally magnificent pharmaceutical manuscript with over 200 column-wide miniatures. The illuminations accompany three late antique treatises, the two longest of which discuss the medicinal use of various plants, followed by a shorter text on the curative benefits of animal substances. The treatment options range from practicable applications to disgusting recipes and wondrous and almost magical practices. Four picture pages with large depictions of partly grisly medical procedures such as a bloody operation on the head and a hemorrhoid operation conclude the anthology. The colorful miniatures and large decorated initials are executed in the so-called channel style and are all embellished with rich golden and silver details. The plants in particular create an ornamental effect in the eye-catching frames. With their painted roots, the depictions follow the traditional herbal illumination, but are much more stylized here. Together with the animal images, they not only illustrate the information provided in the text, but also complement it in parts, thereby creating a visual organization system and representing the status and erudition of the patron or owner of the luxurious manuscript.