I have
the record of an elaborate consultation written in his own hand, from
which one may gather what a formidable thing it was to fall into the
hands of a mediaeval physician. Signor John de Calabria had a digestive
weakness of the stomach, and rheumatic cerebral disease, combined with
superfluous heat and dryness of the liver and multiplication of choler.
There is first an elaborate discussion on diet and general mode of life;
then he proceeds to draw up certain light medicines as a supplement,
but it must have taken an extensive apothecary's shop to turn out the
twenty-two prescriptions designed to meet every possible contingency.
One of the difficulties in the early days of the universities was to
procure good MSS. In the Paris Faculty, the records of which are the
most complete in Europe, there is an inventory for the year 1395 which
gives a list of twelve volumes, nearly all by Arabian authors.(25)
Franklin gives an interesting incident illustrating the rarity of
medical MSS. at this period. Louis XI, always worried about his health,
was anxious to have in his library the works of Rhazes. The only copy
available was in the library of the medical school. The manuscript was
lent, but on excellent security, and it is nice to know that it was
returned.
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