PAULLI'S FIRST BOTANICAL WORK

PAULLI, SIMON.

Quadripartitum, de simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus (+) Oratio ad dn Professores ac Studiosos amnium ordinum.

Rostock, Johann Hallervord, 1639.

4to. In contemporary full vellum. Title in contentemporary hand to spine. Gilt ornamentation to spine and gilt frames to boards. All edges gilt. Extremities with light soiling and a few dots and marks. Two previous owner's names in near contemporary hand to title-page. Three small worm-tracts affecting first few leaves, otherwise internally very nice and clean. (16), 80, 184, 19, (17), (32), (16) pp.


Exceedingly rare first edition of Paulli’s first substantial botanical work - and the first botanical university textbook in Denmark - which laid the foundation for his magnum opus, the greatest illustrated work in Danish book-production, and the largest Flora ever produced, namely that of Flora Danica. The present work deals with the medicinal properties of various substances and is considered one of Paulli's most important contributions to the field of medicine.

In the preface to Flora Danica, Simon Paulli writes that the plant descriptions are drawn from Dodoens but organized into four groups based on the flowering time. One might think that this was meant as a simple and understandable system for laypeople, but the system was not specifically created for this work. In Flora Danica, Paulli employed a classification that he had already developed and presented in the present work, the same year he arrived in Copenhagen. Since Simon Paulli originally wrote Flora Danica in Latin and had it translated with the help of a Danish student, it is reasonable to assume that he drew much of the material directly from this book. (See Bjerke, “De Lærdeste Lægers Urtegaarde”).

Simon Paulli (1603–1680) was a Danish physician and naturalist and made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and botany during the 17th century. Paulli was born in Rostock, Germany, and later moved to Denmark. He served as a professor of medicine at the University of Copenhagen and became the personal physician to King Christian IV of Denmark. In the botanical realm, Paulli is particularly known for his work "Flora Danica,". Published in the mid-17th century, "Flora Danica" was one of the earliest works of its kind and contributed to the scientific understanding of plant life in Denmark. Apart from his botanical contributions, Simon Paulli made important strides in the field of medicine, and he is recognized for his studies on human anatomy. Simon Paulli's impact on botany and medicine, particularly in Scandinavia, has left a lasting legacy in the history of science.

Order-nr.: 60630


DKK 50.000,00