MONTANUS, Johannes [Giovanni Battista da Monte (1498–1551)], VESALIUS

Giovanni Battista de Monte, professor of medicine at Padua (1498-1551) was one of the most famous practitioners of his time. The Consultationes Medicæ (or Consilia) are his chief work. They cover the whole field of medicine. The first collected edition of the Consilia was published in Nuremberg in 1559. An Appendix was added to the edition of 1572 (with colophon dated 1565), printed at Basel, and again in 1583, which apparently being the sheets of the 1572 edition with a new title leaf and additional text forming Consiliorum appendix (col. 1-138 plus errata & index, signed a-e6 f8). No other early edition of the appendix exists. The appendix includes the earliest consilium by Vesalius (col. 129-135) , dated from Padua, 3. Calend. Maii (i.e. April 29), 1542. Vesalius was a fellow student of Montanus of Padua. In a note preceding Vesalius’ consilium, the printer states that he found it among Montanus´ papers. It is addressed to Wolfgang Herwart, an Augsburg patrician who was a close friend of Vesalius at Padua, and concerns a young man who was troubled with partial loss of vision. Vesalius studied the possible origin of the disease and gives his opinion concerning cause and treatment. This early contribution to ophthalmology by Vesalius is only little known. An English translation of it is given by O´Malley (pp. 378-83). The work by Montanus includes many other consilia on ophthalmology.

Collation: 344 leaves: = ff. 10 + 280 [columns 1-1120] + 16 [last blank] + 38 [columns 1-138, )(misnumbered 137), followed by 12 unnumbered columns, last page is blank]. Woodcut portrait of the author on title. Sign.: a6 b4 a-z A-Z 6 Aa4 Bb-Cc6 Dd4 a-e6 f8. One leaf (a2 in the prelims) is missing.

Binding: Contemporary vellum.

Provenance: Long inscription: Michaeli Neostephano / Fridericus Spies, Rostock, 1600; Christopher Carlander (1759–1848).

References: See Cushing, Vesalius, Chapter VIII, pp. 171-181, O´Malley, Vesalius, pp. 108-09; Wellcome I, 441.