Chapter LXI: Appendix: I

THE MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS

The _Medical Experimentation_ is printed in the 1481 edition of Rasis but not in that of 1497. It also is found in old editions of Galen, such as that of Venice, 1609, VIII, Spurii libri, fols. 108v-113v; and that of Renatus Charterius, Paris, 1679, X, 561-70.

It occurs frequently in the MSS. In the following list I have endeavored to indicate the other treatises accompanying it, since they are perhaps all sections of one work. I note first those MSS which I have personally examined.

St. John’s College 85, late 13th century, fol. 157v-,
“Incipiunt experimenta rasi. Dicit rasis volo in hoc
capitulo dicere medicinas que sunt necessarie in doloribus
iuncturarum scilicet medicinas laxativas” ... (the Incipit
of the De egritudinibus iuncturarum): fol. 167r-, “De
experimentis altaris. Dixit G. quod ignis qui descendit
...” (the Incipit of the De medicinis experimentatis):
fol. 172v-, “De aptatione medicine ut sine horribilitate
possit sumi secundum Rasim pillule mirabiles”: fol.
178v, “Expliciunt experimenta rasis. amen dicant omnia.”
Steinschneider (1905), p. 12, was in error in describing
the “experiments” of Rasis in this MS as alchemistic;
nor do I understand why he said (1906), p. 47, “Ein
medizinisches liber Experimentorum von Razi ist sonst kaum
bekannt; wenn St. Johns Coll. 85 ein solcher enthält, so
ist wohl der Titel neu,” especially since he himself some
pages later (1906), p. 85, associates with the name of
Rasis a lib. Experimentorum in Wolfenbüttel 479, fols.
304-16.

Arundel 115, 1327 A. D., fol. 108v-, Practica puerorum;
fol. 110-, Tractatus de iuncturis dolorum curatione; fol.
116v-, Liber experimentorum; fol. 121r- De aptatione
medicine ut sine horribilate sumi secundum Rasim pillule
mirabiles; fol. 125r, “Expliciunt experimenta rasys. deo
gratias.”

Sloane 1933, 13th century, fol. 99r-, Antidotarium of
Rasis, some 50 or 60 chapters from diseases of the scalp
to sciatica, opening and closing, “Iam quidem pervenimus
ad expositionem resonis ... / ... imspissetur deinde
repone. xplicit antidotarium rasi”: fol. 105v-, “Incipiunt
experimenta rasi. Dixit rasis volo in hoc capitulo....”
The MS is imperfect, if not mutilated: at fols. 111-12 it
seems to run into the Practica puerorum and at fol. 114v
stops in the midst of the De medicinis experimentatis.

BN 7046, 13th century, following the Divisiones and
Antidotarium of Rasis come at fol. 157-, Rasis de
iuncturarum egritudinibus; fol. 165-, Practica puerorum;
fol. 169-, Experimenta seu ipsius seu Galeni.

BN 6906, 14th century, following the Antidotarium, at fol.
164r-, de iuncturarum egritudinibus; fol. 175r, “Explicit
practica parvorum. Incipiunt experimenta;” fol. 188r,
“Explicit experimenta rasis.”

Other Paris MSS where the Diseases of the Joints and Medical
Experiments are joined together as a single work are BN
6902, fols. 106-129v; 6903, fols. 75r-92r; 6904, fols.
141r-159v: all of the 14th century. In BN 6902, fol.
117r, the caption, “Here Rasis begins to tell various
experiments which he acquired,” precedes the usual Incipit
of the Medical Experiments, “Said G(alen) Fire descended
on the altar....” In the other two MSS the usual Incipit
occurs alone and there is no rubric or break in the text
to mark it.

The following MSS I have not seen:

BN 6893, 14th century, #3 Rhazis experimenta de doloribus
juncturarum; #4 Galeni liber de medicinis experimentatis
sive experimentatio medicinalis e graeco sermone in
arabicum a Johannicio et ex arabico in Latinum a Magistro
Franchino conversa.

Balliol 285, 13th century, fol. 198, Liber Galieni de
medicinis experimentatis qui intitulatur experimentatio
medicinalis quem transtulit Johannes de Greco in Latinum
(Arabicum?) et magister Farachius de Arabico in Latinum;
Incipit, “Dixit Galenus ignis qui descendit....”

CLM 372, 15th century, fol. 185-, Galeni liber ...
“experimentatio medicinalis” quem transtulit Johannicius
de Greco in arabicum et mag. Ferranus de arabico in
latinum.

CLM 666, 15th century, fol. 288-, Excerptum ex Galeni libro
de medicinis experimentatis a magistro Ferraro translato.

CLM 19901, 15th century, fol. 209-, Liber Ga(leni) de
medicinis experimentatus qui intitulatur experimentatio
medicinalis quem transtulit Johannicius de Graeco in
Arabicum et mag. Frarthacius de Arabico in Latinum.

Merton College 228, 14th century, fol. 51-, Avicennae liber
experimentorum, interprete Gerardo Cremonensi, but the
Incipit shows it to be the De medicinis experimentatis,
“Dixit Galienus; ignis qui descendit....” It is
interesting to note that it is preceded by the Divisiones
of Rasis and followed by his work to Almansor, which are
the only other treatises in the MS and are also said to be
translated by Gerard of Cremona.

Amplon. Folio 260, 13-14th century, fols. 344-52,
experimenta de doloribus juncturarum, fols. 355-66,
Galieni experimentatio medicinalis (ab aliis Rasi
attributa).

Amplon. Folio 265, early 14th century, fols, 111-19, liber
experimentorum Rasis, fols. 121-26, de cura dolorum
iuncturarum Rasis. It is unusual for the _Cure of Pains in
the Joints_ to follow the other treatise.

Berlin 899, 13th century, fol. 89-, Experimenta,
or, De doloribus iuncturarum; fol. 96-, Liber G.
experimentationis medicinarum. This MS also has the usual
supplementary matter beginning with the “De aptatione
medicine ut sine horribilitate possit sumi,” etc.,
although just before this another hand has inserted the
word “Explicit” and drawn a red line.

CU Trinity 1473, 15th century, fols. 116-31, Experimenta
rasis, opens, “Dixit rasis volo in hoc capitulo ...” (the
Incipit of the Diseases of the Joints), closes, “... per
vias urinales” (the Explicit of Rasis’ passage on the cure
of the stone) “Expl. antidota.” (over an erasure) “Rasi et
cum hiis totus libellus Deo gracias.”

Peterhouse 101, 13-14th century, fols. 98v-116, is like the
MS just described, except that it closes “... per vias
urinales. Expl. experimenta Rasis,” and then follows the
Antidotarium of Rasis.

CLM 3520, 14th century, fol. 61-, Liber experimentorum
Rasis, fol. 63-, Medicinae Zenonis de Athenis, is
presumably simply a part of the former, since it includes
twenty experiments or recipes by Zeno of Athens.

CLM 13026, 14th century, fol. 1, Liber de secretis G(alen)i;
but the Incipit, “Dixit G; ignis qui descendit ...” is
that of the Experiments.

Wolfenbüttel 2156, 15th century, fols. 427-35, Experimenta
varia Rasis, Vsion Rision (qui erat de Armenia anteriori),
Asariton, Anuleth de Macedonia, Acharaan de civitate
Apthor, aliorumque medicorum. These seem to be some of the
authorities cited in the Medical Experiments. The same MS
also contains Rasis’ Divisiones and a part of the Secrets
of Galen of which we shall speak later.

Vienna 2306, 14th century, fols. 9v-15r, Pseudo-Galenus, De
medicinis expertis.

Vienna 5336, 15th century, fols. 24-27, Liber de medicinis
expertis, in fine mutilus.