Salmon, London Dispensatory, First English edition, 1678
Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, Or, the New London Dispensatory. In Six Books. Translated into English for the publick Good, And fitted to the whole Art of Healing. Illustrated with The Preparations, Virtues and Uses of all Simple Medicaments; Vegitable, Animal and Mineral: Of all the Compounds, both Internal and External: And of all the Chymical Preparations now in Use. Together with several choise Medicines added by the Author. As also, The Praxis of Chymistry, As it’s now Exercised, fitted to the meanest Capacity. By William Salmon Professor of Physick. London, Printed by Thomas Dawks: and are to be sold by the Booksellers of London. 1678.
Small, thick, octavo in new full brown speckled and paneled calf with raised bands and red title label on spine. Gold details on spine. New end papers. Page edges slightly marbled or scribbled on at some point (faded). Bottom margin occasionally a bit ragged and occasionally trimmed slightly into catchwords. Rare small tears of corners. Some corners folded. First third of book significantly involved by damp stain. Additional smaller scattered stains here and there. Binding tight throughout. A very readable and textually complete copy.
New ffep, blank, A - Lll^8, Mmm^7, new rfep. [note: Aa4 given erroneously as Aa2]
New ffep, blank, title (14), 878, new rfep.
William Salmon (1644 – 1713) was a medical empiric who was a prolific publisher of books, largely translated and compiled from earlier works. He was derided as a charlatan and quack by his opponents but may have also been a licensed practitioner. There are no records of him attaining university education, but that is not uncommon for 17th century practitioners. Despite accusations, he was practicing in London by the age of 27, and his many books went through numerous editions, and were internationally known and reprinted for a century to follow. (See Natalie Apelbaum. Doron medicum. Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Vol 49, Issue 1. Pg 41 – 50. Sept 2021.)
See Pg 48 (number 179, Corallium, coral (chiefly red)), pg 65, (number 311, Hypericum, Perforata, Fuga Daemonum, S. John’s wort) which tell us that Paracelsus says it is useful for driving away inchantments, witchcraft, and spirits.
Other interesting materia medica include human brain, human blood, human cranium, mummy, and several types of bezoars.
Page 48 also has a brief paragraph on coffee (cophy).
