Description of University of Pennsylvania Ms. Codex 2406: French medical and cosmetic recipe book. University of Pennsylvania 2026-09-28 2026-09-28 These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 2406: French medical and cosmetic recipe book. 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/. Metadata is ©2026 University of Pennsylvania Libraries and 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/. Ms. codex. Title devised by cataloger. 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206 University of Pennsylvania Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 2406 9979922404503681 http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1610781980 Collection of over 400 recipes for cures for ailments, injuries, and diseases (including venereal and veterinary diseases); cosmetics; and compounds for miscellaneous purposes (for example, how to break a charm, p. 77; how to erase writing, p. 85, 381; how to gild without gold, p. 137, 319, 377; how to make varnish, p. 185; how to clean paintings, p. 284, 378; how to make ultramarine, p. 386). Many of the recipes are attributed to abbreviated names that are repeated (especially R. P. de Junqua/Junca, but also M. de S. P.(?), M. de Gasc., Perrand, Colomb., and Guitard) or noted as having been tried by one of these names. The beginning of the manuscript is paginated except for blank leaves (through p. 89); then only pages with recipe titles are numbered (p. 90-218); then pages with recipe titles are numbered starting from the end of the volume (upside down) towards the center (p. 219-413). A sewn gathering containing an index is laid inside the back cover; it is in the same hand as certain recipes that may have been added last (p. 176, 200, 209. 210, 309-310), probably also responsible for the pagination/recipe numeration. The categories of the index are "pour les maladies externes," "pour les maladies internes," "pour les maladies venerienes," "pour l'embelissement du corps," "baumes, onguents, etc.," "pour les animaux," and "pour divers usages." A scrap of paper with a partial recipe for varnish is also laid in the manuscript. French, with a few recipes in Latin (for example, p. 373-375, 377-391) French medical and cosmetic recipe book. [i] [French medical and cosmetic recipe book] Index 1 Table alphebetique de matieres contenues dans ce manuscrit

paper

 267 leaves : 120 x 90 mm bound to 135 x 95 mm +

Paper, 267 leaves; 1³⁶⁻⁵(-1, -2, -12, -13, -14) 2⁹⁶(1 bifolium enclosing 2 subgroups of 60 and 34) 3³²⁻¹(-9) 4³²⁻¹(-2) 5⁵⁰ 6²⁸; pages with recipe titles are numbered, 1-218 from the front cover and 219-413 upside down from the back cover, ending with 413 on the verso of 218. References in this record are to pages as originally numbered in the manuscript.

 Written in cursive and semi-cursive script by multiple hands. Small informal faces in ink (p. 45, 59, 92, 150, 190, 193, 396, 397, 401); manicules (3, 92, 206) and other readers' marks (for example, one mark on pages facing 266 and 281 and a mark like a sun on 370 and 371); portrait in ink of a person, upside down inside front cover. Drawing, portrait in ink Manicule Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Manicule Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Manicule Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Drawing, small face Diagram (canceled)

Reused parchment binding, with former spine title in gilt capitals, Aretino Ragionamenti, and remnant of leather strap sewn to fore edge of back cover in the 17th or 18th century (Malais).

Written in France between the late 17th century and the middle of the 18th century (Malais).

1680?-1750? France Sold by Nicolas Malais (formerly Cabinet Chaptal, Paris), 2026. Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions--Early works to 1800 codices (bound manuscripts) recipes prescriptions Manuscripts, French--17th century Manuscripts, French--18th century Manuscripts, European