Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Kurze Beschreibung von Verfertigung einer Essentia dulcis, nebst zwei von ihr entsprungenden Medicamenten, nehmlich: des schwarzen Pulvers und des sogenanten Balsami mineralis

Authors

• Kleinfeld, Christian Ernest

Call number

Ms. Codex 502
(Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 1580934
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/1580934

Publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Language

German, with 10 leaves containing prescriptions in Latin and German, and a few leaves with notes in English

Origin

Date

1722-1815

Place

Germany or United States

Summary

A description of a so-called "essentia dulcis," or gold tincture, a secret remedy which was purported to be derived from pure gold, and of two preparations derived from it, "black powder" and "mineral balsam." Their history, composition, and medicinal applications are given. The invention of the "essentia dulcis" has been ascribed to the physician Christian Friedrich Richter (1676-1711) of Halle, who is mentioned in the text; there are also references to the Königsberg medical faculty and to the Collegium medicum at Berlin. Bound in with the above tract are the following additions written in various hands at about the same time: 10 leaves containing medical prescriptions in Latin and German; 5 leaves, one containing diary entries in English, dated 1814-1815; 121 leaves of prayers, hymns, etc. in German; and 5 leaves containing accounts in English, dated 1812-1813, f. 172-174 appear to have been torn out.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title supplied by cataloger (Zacour-Hirsch).
   

Extent

179 leaves : 164 x 100 (151 x 90) mm. bound to 168 x 115 mm

Foliation

Paper, 179; [1-179]; modern foliation in ink, upper right recto.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary parchment, damaged on lower cover.

Script

Written in a cursive script by multiple hands.

Provenance

• Sold by Ida W. Schuman, ca. 1960s.
   

Subjects topical

• Devotional literature, German
• Pharmacology
• Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions
• Chemistry--History

Genres

• Codices
• Hymns
• Prayers
• Prescriptions
• Recipes
• Manuscripts, German--18th century
• Manuscripts, English--19th century
• Manuscripts, European

Licenses

• Text

  This description is ©2016 University of Pennsylvania Libraries. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  All referenced images and their content are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/