'Groundely lerned'

Insectorum sive minimorum animalium theatrum [On insects, or the theatre of the smallest animals] 
Edward Wotton, Conrad Gessner, Thomas Penny, Thomas Moffet, published London, 1634
CN9386 

This book took decades to come to print, its writing outliving several of its authors. Thomas Moffet (or Muffet) compiled it from information originally collected by RCP president Edward Wotton (d.1555), Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner (d.1565) and RCP fellow Thomas Penny (d.1589). Moffet himself died in 1604 and the draft work came into the hands of another RCP fellow, Théodore de Mayerne, who arranged for it to be published.  

Modern nomenclature for animals was still developing at this time, so this book about ‘insects’ also includes worms, spiders, ticks and myriapods – all brought to life in charming illustrations. 

Donated by Grace Pierrepont (1635–1703) 

Aquatilibus [On things that live in the water]
Pierre Belon, published Paris, 1553 
CN11964

The unusual oblong shape of this book, with the pages wider than they are tall, is ideally suited to illustrating the many aquatic creatures featured: fishes, marine mammals, reptiles, crustaceans and molluscs, such as this cheerful octopus. The text notes the octopus can change colours: ‘now white, then red, then livid, then distinguished by various shades.’ 

Purchased with money bequeathed by Richard Hale (1670–1728) 

Canterbury tales
Geoffrey Chaucer, written late 14th century, this copy made c.1440–1450
MS388

The opening of Chaucer’s Canterbury tales, the classic work of literature, describes how spring is the ideal time for the group of pilgrims to set out from Southwark to visit the tomb of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. It’s written in Middle English, the language used in England from c.1150 to c.1500. 

De consolatione philosophiae [On the consolations of philosophy]
Boethius, published Strasbourg, 1501
CN11226

Each page of this book is a masterpiece of the printer’s art. Boethius’ original text sits in the centre of the page in large type, with a commentary falsely ascribed to St Thomas Aquinas arranged around it in smaller letters. Decorative initial letters mark the start of each section. Woodcut images are combined into panels, illustrating the progression of Boethius’ suffering on the Wheel of Fortune. 

Religious works such as this are comparatively scarce in medical doctors’ book collections compared to libraries of other learned institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge colleges.  

Acquired before 1757  

L'art et instruction de bien dancer [The art and method of dancing well]
Michel de Toulouse, published Paris, c.1495
CN21430 

This is the only known surviving copy of this book about French courtly dance, known as basse danse. The book uses musical staves to notate the order and rhythm of steps of the dance.  

The date of publication of this book is uncertain, as including full details of the publisher and date of printed books was not yet common practice. It would be another 470 years before the ISBN – the International Standard Book Number that is a unique identifier for every book – would be invented! 

The subject of this book shows how the personal interests of doctors from the past have helped to shape the library collections. 

Explore the complete Bien dancer in this digitised copy

Donated by Grace Pierrepont (1635–1703) 

Wilton Psalter
Illuminated psalter, Latin, c. 1250
MS409 

The Wilton Psalter is an illuminated manuscript: a book written by hand, rather than printed by a machine. It is a Psalter, a book containing the Psalms from the Bible, used daily in religious services.  

It was made around the year 1250 for the nuns at Wilton Abbey, Wiltshire. It was probably made at the large and accomplished monastic scriptorium (a room in monastic communities where scribes copy manuscripts) at nearby Salisbury Cathedral. The text was written by monks using quill pens on vellum (prepared animal skin). The images were painted with fine brushes then decorated – illuminated – using gold leaf, polished to shine brightly. 

Each of the 150 Psalms begins with a large initial letter, decorated with images of plants, animals or people. The subsections of the text are marked with large illustrations, some of which have been cut out of the book and lost. Before the Psalms at the start of the book is a calendar, showing one month per page and listing the dates of festivals. At the end of the book are other texts useful for performing religious services.  

The 800-year-old Wilton Psalter has been owned by the RCP since 1680, when it was donated to the RCP as part of the Marquis of Dorchester’s library. 

Explore every page of the Psalter in this digitised copy