Catalogue of western manuscripts on medicine and science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library. I: Mss. written before 1650 A.D.

Abstract

This magnificent catalogue makes available to scholars the details concerning early manuscript material reposing in the Wellcome Medical Historical Library. Approximately 1500 individual manuscripts are recorded, written wholly or in part before 1650, the earliest dating from about 1025 A.D. Most of these manuscripts were acquired by Sir Henry Wellcome, who was especially interested in the development of medical and scientific thought. The fact that the items here described comprise only about 15% of the total manuscript collections furnishes some indication of the immense range of the library's collections. The catalogue itself is extremely meticulous. Mr. Moorat, librarian of the Wellcome Library from 1931 to 1946, has furnished precise details concerning collation, script, binding, and other bibliographic data, and has paid special attention to content. The catalogue contains numerous indices in diverse categories that furnish a maximum of information. The work, beautifully published, is a must for all scholars who