[Enchiridion medicinae (1573)-a short pharmaceutical manual compiled by Georg Henisch]. / Das Enchiridion medicinae (1573) ­ ein pharmazeutisches Kurzhandbuch, zusammengestellt von Georg Henisch.

In 1573, Georg Henisch published a short pharmaceutical handbook, Enchiridion medicinae, which contains remedies for individual health problems, without making any further comments on the effects and method of use. However, this manual had a predecessor which was published in Paris in 1571 without mentioning the author. The text of both editions is practically identical, there are only minimal differences, but the second edition has been expanded to a foreword and final sections with some recipes. A comparison of the work with contemporary medical literature revealed that Enchiridion medicinae is a compilation of three works by other authors, De materia medicinali et compositione medicamentorum by G. Rondelet from 1556, a commentary by the French author Sebastien Coquillat Scipio on Galen's work Quos, quibus, quando purgare oporteat from 1553 and the book Lilium medicinae by Bernard de Gordon from 1550. Henisch probably acquired this compilation from 1571 as a young student in France, added some passages by Rendelet and passages from two others books, wrote a foreword which he signed with his name and published in Basel in 1573.

“[... ] ad agritudinem podagram [... ]”: sobre el empleo del guayaco en los comienzos del siglo XVI / “[... ] ad agritudinem podagram [... ]”: on the use of guaiac at the beginning of the 16th century

En los últimos años se ha abordado el estudio de distintas prescripciones y consejos dietéticos en lenguas vernáculas de personajes vinculados a las élites castellanas, catalanas y navarras, datados entre la segunda mitad del siglo XV y finales del XVI. Uno de los personajes estudiados es el clérigo Juan Rena, veneciano de origen, que desde principios del siglo XVI ocupó puestos de responsabilidad en la administración castellana. Nombrado capellán de la reina Juana I de Castilla en 1508, fue Rena la ‘mano derecha’ de Fernando II de Aragón en la restructuración administrativa del reino de Navarra tras su conquista en 1512. Entre la nume-rosa documentación relacionada con su persona se han localizado dos textos para tratar la gota, basado en un ingrediente procedente del Nuevo Mundo, el palosanto o guayaco, en un periodo relativamente temprano. (AU)

Management of injuries on the 16th-century battlefield: Ambroise Paré's contributions to neurosurgery and functional recovery.

During the 1536 siege of Turin in northern Italy, a young French barber-surgeon abandoned the conventional treatment of battle-inflicted wounds, launching a revolution in military medicine and surgical techniques. Ambroise Paré (1510-1590) was born into a working-class Huguenot family in Laval, France, during an era when surgery was not considered a respectable profession. He rose from humble origins as a barber-surgeon, a low-ranked occupation in the French medical hierarchy, to become a royal surgeon (chirurgien ordinaire du Roi) serving 4 consecutive French monarchs. His innovative ideas and surgical practice were a response to the environment created by new military technology on 16th-century European battlefields. Gunpowder weapons caused unfamiliar, complicated injuries that challenged Paré to develop new techniques and surgical instruments. Although Paré's contributions to the treatment of wounds and functional prosthetics are documented, a deeper appreciation of his role in military neurosurgery is needed. This paper examines archives, primary texts, and written accounts by Paré that reveal specific patient cases highlighting his innovative contributions to neurotrauma and neurosurgery during demanding and harrowing circumstances, on and off the battlefield, in 16th-century France. Notably, trepanation indications increased because of battlefield head injuries, and Paré frequently described this technique and improved the design of the trepan tool. His contribution to neurologically related topics is extensive; there are more chapters devoted to the nervous system than to any other organ system in his compendium, Oeuvres. Regarding anatomical knowledge as fundamentally important and admiring the contemporary contributions of Andreas Vesalius, Paré reproduced many images from Vesalius' works at his own great expense. The manner in which Paré's participation in military expeditions enabled collaboration with multidisciplinary artisans on devices, including surgical tools and prosthetics, to restore neurologically associated functionality is also discussed. Deeply religious, in a life filled with adventure, and serving in often horrendous conditions during a time when Galenic dogma still dominated medical practice, Paré developed a reputation for logic, empiricism, technology, and careful treatment. "I have [had] the opportunity to praise God, for what he called me to do in medical operation, which is commonly called surgery, which could not be bought with gold or silver, but by only virtue and great experimentation."

A 16th-century biodiversity and crop inventory.

Documenting and understanding long-term biodiversity change is limited by the availability of historical data, particularly from periods preceding major anthropogenic changes associated with the Industrial Revolution. We mined the information of a standardized historical survey developed in 628 localities across Spain between 1574 and 1582 (Relaciones Topográficas de Felipe II) with the goal of producing a general characterization of Spanish settlements, including, though not limited to, natural resources. From this survey, we were able to gather 7309 records for 75 wild plant taxa, 89 wild animal taxa, and 60 crop and domestic animal taxa. These data can be used to reconstruct historical land use and habitat cover, and model historical distributions of many species, including emblematic ones such as wolf and bear, which can establish reference distributions to assess range and niche expansion, contraction, and shifts. Data are provided under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. The authors are open to collaborate in projects based on this dataset.

Sixteenth-century tomatoes in Europe: who saw them, what they looked like, and where they came from.

BACKGROUND: Soon after the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the first tomatoes were presented as curiosities to the European elite and drew the attention of sixteenth-century Italian naturalists. Despite of their scientific interest in this New World crop, most Renaissance botanists did not specify where these 'golden apples' or 'pomi d'oro' came from. The debate on the first European tomatoes and their origin is often hindered by erroneous dating, botanical misidentifications and inaccessible historical sources. The discovery of a tomato specimen in the sixteenth-century 'En Tibi herbarium' kept at Leiden, the Netherlands, triggered research on its geographical provenance and morphological comparison to other tomato specimens and illustrations from the same time period. METHODS: Recent digitization efforts greatly facilitate research on historic botanical sources. Here we provide an overview of the ten remaining sixteenth-century tomato specimens, early descriptions and 13 illustrations. Several were never published before, revealing what these tomatoes looked like, who saw them, and where they came from. We compare our historical findings with recent molecular research on the chloroplast and nuclear DNA of the 'En Tibi' specimen. RESULTS: Our survey shows that the earliest tomatoes in Europe came in a much wider variety of colors, shapes and sizes than previously thought, with both simple and fasciated flowers, round and segmented fruits. Pietro Andrea Matthioli gave the first description of a tomato in 1544, and the oldest specimens were collected by Ulisse Aldrovandi and Francesco Petrollini in c. 1551, possibly from plants grown in the Pisa botanical garden by their teacher Luca Ghini. The oldest tomato illustrations were made in Germany and Switzerland in the early 1550s, but the Flemish Rembert Dodoens published the first image in 1553. The names of early tomatoes in contemporary manuscripts suggest both a Mexican and a Peruvian origin. The 'En Tibi' specimen was collected by Petrollini around 1558 and thus is not the oldest extant tomato. Recent molecular research on the ancient nuclear and chloroplast DNA of the En Tibi specimen clearly shows that it was a fully domesticated tomato, and genetically close to three Mexican landraces and two Peruvian specimens that probably also had a Mesoamerican origin. Molecular research on the other sixteenth-century tomato specimens may reveal other patterns of genetic similarity, past selection processes, and geographic origin. Clues on the 'historic' taste and pest resistance of the sixteenth-century tomatoes will be difficult to predict from their degraded DNA, but should be rather sought in those landraces in Central and South America that are genetically close to them. The indigenous farmers growing these traditional varieties should be supported to conserve these heirloom varieties in-situ.

Review of the research programme on the Mortella III wreck (2010-2020, Corsica, France): A contribution to the knowledge of the Mediterranean naval architecture and material culture of the Renaissance.

The Mortella wrecks are the remains of two navi, Genoese seagoing merchant ships, sunk in 1527 in the Bay of Saint-Florent (Upper-Corsica, France) during the Seventh Italian War. A programme of archaeological excavations and historical research has been held on one of them,   Mortella III, between 2010 and 2020. It has involved a multidisciplinary team around a European research project called ModernShip (Horizon 2020), whose objective is to shed light on Mediterranean shipbuilding during the Renaissance, a field still little known to this day. At the end of these 10 years, the aim of the present article is to conclude this research programme with the presentation of a scientific review that complements a recently published monograph on the Mortella III wreck. This study presents the latest results on the ship's architecture obtained during the excavation of the wreck in 2019, including a study of the wood of the framework. Finally, this article broadens our understanding of the nave presenting the results of a collaborative line of research on material culture with three studies in close connection with the ship architecture: artillery, anchors and ceramics.

Acerca de la muerte de Hernando de Magallanes: efectos de una flecha envenenada

Ferdinand Magellan's maritime expedition that resulted in the circumnavigation of the Earth and the discovery of the strait that bears his name is among the greatest feats in history. The trip, which took more than three years, was not completed by Magellan, who died on the island of Mactan, Philippines in a scuffle with the locals. As reported in Magellan's voyage journal written by Pigafetta, Magellan died after receiving a poisoned arrow in his right leg. This study reviews the main compounds used by indigenous from the Philippines and Southeast Asian to poison their arrows, their agents, and effects. These poisons are mainly derived from Aconitum and other species, such as Strychnos, Lophopetalum, Beaumontia, and Strophanthus. They contain cardiac alkaloids and glycosides, which can produce neurological and cardiac effects in just a few minutes. We argue that these toxic effects hindered the withdrawal of Magellan from the beach, facilitating his death in hands of the locals.

Victus Ordine Constituto: la alimentación en la medicina de Amato Lusitano, una aproximación / Victus ordine constituto: an approach towards diet in Amatus Lusitanus medicine

Parte de la tarea médica del portugués João Rodrigues de Castelo Branco, pseudónimo de Amato Lusitano (1511-1568), consiste en atender o modificar la dieta de sus pacientes. A través de las prescripciones de la Centuria Tertia, uno de los libros que componen su obra Curationum Medicinalium Centuriae, podemos ver el amplio número de alimentos utilizados con fines terapéuticos, algunos realmente costosos. También conocemos cómo la atención de este médico por la dieta exige la obediencia del paciente.(AU)

The medical practice of João Rodrigues de Castelo Branco, also known as Amatus Lusitanus (1511-1568), pays particular attention to the establishment or modification of the dietary customs of his patients. The prescriptions included in the third volume (Centuria Tertia) of his book Curationum Medicinalium Centuriae show the wide range of food products used for therapy purposes, some of them really expensive. It is also remarkable that Amatus demands obedience to his dietary regulations from his patients.(AU)

[Benefits from herb garden. Pharmaceutical works in translations by Georg Henisch]. / Der nutz auß den Krautgärten. Georg Henischs Übersetzungen pharmazeutischer Werke.

Georg Henisch (1549-1618), native of today´s Slovak city Bardejov (in German Bartfeld) translated four pharmaceutical texts from Latin into German, three works by the French author Antoine Mizauld and one by Sextus Placitus, an author of the late Classical period. All of them were published in quick succession in the years 1574-1575 and they appeared until 1615 in several unchanged editions. All four works have a similar theme: unusual curative substances which could be easily procured from plants, metals and animals and they are addressed to the layman. From the point of view of genre, they are different, it is a matter of Kräuterbücher, herbal books, so called Hausväterliteratur (house father literature) and medicine, art and wonder books as well. In his translations, Henisch does not adhere strictly to the original texts, leaving out some smaller parts, translating freely and adapting his version to suit his wider German audience.

Basal Cell Carcinoma among Cutaneous Tumours in "Caricature," Painted by Bartolomeo Passerotti (1529-1592).

A fine and fair depiction of basal cell carcinoma is documented with great fidelity in "Caricature" by Bartolomeo Passerotti (1529-1592). The cancer is pearly white and contains an elevated centre with a sharp and somewhat depressed outline due to ulceration of the lesion. The painting is of essential didactic worth for practicing medical doctors. In addition, the masterpiece contains images of the brown elevated lesions that could turn out to be verrucous melanocytic nevi or pigmented seborrheic keratoses, but it cannot be excluded that these nodules are also basal cell carcinomas covered by a brownish crust. It is standard that microscopic verification is required for all these tumours. However, a pearly white irregular tumour is the most characteristic macroscopic presentation of basal cell carcinoma.

[The art of surgery in nuce : Introduction to Institutiones chirurgicae (1601) by Johannes Jessenius (1566-1621)]. / Chirurgische Kunst in nuce : Einführung zu Institutiones chirurgicae (1601) von Johannes Jessenius (1566­1621).

BACKGROUND: In 1601, Johannes Jessenius published the surgical work Institutiones chirurgicae, which is of particular importance for the history of surgery in Germany. So far, research has predominantly concentrated on the anatomical works of Jessenius; his surgical work including aspects of urology has not been the subject of investigation. OBJECTIVES: In the present article, we analyze the structure, reasoning, and linguistic means used by the author in this work. RESULTS: According to the introduction, surgery comprises three basic components: agens, actor or the surgeon, actio, the activity, that is, the operation, and per quae et quibus actio perficitur, which means instruments and medications. The operations are arranged in contrasts, solutio continuorum-junctio separatorum, the dissolution of the connected-connection of the separate, extirpatio superfluorum-recuperatio deficientium, to eliminate the superfluous-to restore the missing. The description of the instruments is also based on opposite pairs. DISCUSSION: The three elements of surgical work represent a reduction of what is stated in the Hippocratic text De officina. Thus, recognizable here is an ancient tradition, which was also known to the predecessors of Jessenius. CONCLUSIONS: At the beginning of the work, aspects of an introduction to the surgical work of the 16th century are briefly recapitulated. Jessenius adheres to this historical tradition including aspects of urology of this work. In the introduction, he refers to various medical writers, without directly adopting the texts. The surgical artistry that Jessenius stands for is of fundamental importance to this day.

Ambroise Paré: His Contribution to the Future Advancement of Neurosurgery and the Hardships of His Times Affecting His Life and Brilliant Career.

Ambroise Paré was celebrated surgeon of the 16th century whose practical accomplishments, books, and ideas transformed surgery and was a precursor for the later development of neurosurgery. He developed many surgical innovations related to wound management, arterial ligation for the prevention of hemorrhage during limb amputations, and the treatment of war-related head and spine injuries. He maintained that a surgeon should operate gently to reduce pain and improve outcome, and he dedicated his career to the wounded, sick, and poor. He also served 4 consecutive French monarchs-Henri II and his 3 sons François II, Charles IX, and Henri III. As a Huguenot (a Reformed Protestant) by faith, he lived in an environment dominated by Catholicism. Hence, his practice and life were sometimes hindered by political circumstances and religious prejudice. In this historical vignette, we will discuss the professional accomplishments of Ambroise Paré that influenced the future development of neurosurgery, including his descriptions of phantom-limb pain and peripheral nerve injury, his innovations in neurotraumatology, and the saws he invented for use in skull surgery. We will also highlight Paré's broad neurosurgical contributions to the field. Finally, we will discuss his personal life during the difficult and dangerous political circumstances of 16th century France.

Andreas Vesalius, the Predecessor of Neurosurgery: How his Progressive Scientific Achievements Affected his Professional Life and Destiny.

Andreas Vesalius, the father of modern anatomy and a predecessor of neuroscience, was a distinguished medical scholar and Renaissance figure of the 16th Century Scientific Revolution. He challenged traditional anatomy by applying empirical methods of cadaveric dissection to the study of the human body. His revolutionary book, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, established anatomy as a scientific discipline that challenged conventional medical knowledge, but often caused controversy. Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain to whom De Humani was dedicated, appointed Vesalius to his court. While in Spain, Vesalius' work antagonized the academic establishment, current medical knowledge, and ecclesial authority. Consequently, his methods were unacceptable to the academic and religious status quo, therefore, we believe that his professional life-as well as his tragic death-was affected by the political state of affairs that dominated 16th Century Europe. Ultimately, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that jeopardized his life. While returning home, his ship was driven ashore on the Greek island of Zakynthos (Zante) where he became ill and suddenly died in 1564 at the age of 49. Vesalius' ideas helped free medicine from the limitations of the 16th Century and advanced scientific knowledge. His influence is still felt more than 500 years later. In this article, we acknowledge Vesalius' neuroanatomic contributions and we discuss the historical facts and political circumstances that influenced his scientific career and personal life, emphasizing the conditions of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land that led to his untimely death.

The black legend on the Spanish presence in the low countries: Verifying shared beliefs on genetic ancestry.

OBJECTIVES: War atrocities committed by the Spanish army in the Low Countries during the 16th century are so ingrained in the collective memory of Belgian and Dutch societies that they generally assume a signature of this history to be present in their genetic ancestry. Historians claim this assumption is a consequence of the so-called "Black Legend" and negative propaganda portraying and remembering Spanish soldiers as extreme sexual aggressors. The impact of the presence of Spaniards during the Dutch Revolt on the genetic variation in the Low Countries has been verified in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A recent population genetic analysis of Iberian-associated Y-chromosomal variation among Europe is enlarged with representative samples of Dutch (N = 250) and Flemish (N = 1,087) males. Frequencies of these variants are also compared between donors whose oldest reported paternal ancestors lived in-nowadays Flemish-cities affected by so-called Spanish Furies (N = 116) versus other patrilineages in current Flemish territory (N = 971). RESULTS: The frequencies of Y-chromosomal markers Z195 and SRY2627 decline steeply going north from Spain and the data for the Flemish and Dutch populations fits within this pattern. No trend of higher frequencies of these variants has been found within the well-ascertained samples associated with Spanish Fury cities. DISCUSSION: Although sexual aggression did occur in the 16th century, these activities did not leave a traceable "Spanish" genetic signature in the autochthonous genome of the Low Countries. Our results support the view that the 'Black Legend' and historical propaganda on sexual aggression have nurtured today's incorrect assumptions regarding genetic ancestry.

The relationship between Vesalius and the Borgarucci family.

Two of the four brothers Borgarucci were medical doctors and in one way or another, be it distantly, connected with the great master Vesalius. Giulio Borgarucci was a physician, who became a Calvinist and emigrated to England where he treated many noblemen and friends of Queen Elisabeth I. He was present at a conversation between the Italian writer and traveler Pietro Bizzari and the Venetian jeweler who witnessed Vesalius' death in Zakynthos. Prospero Borgarucci became professor of anatomy and surgery in Padua, some 20 years after Vesalius. He published several treatises on anatomy, pestilential disease, and materia medica. Prospero Borgarucci became physician to Queen Catherine de Medicis in France, and to Archduke Karl II of Habsburg in Graz. His most important work is the so-called Chirurgia Magna of Vesalius. Text and illustrations of this spurious Vesalian work point to the use of passages of the Epitome, surgical college notes and copied Vesalian images in Borgarucci's Chirurgia Magna.

The presence of sharp-edged weapon related cut mark in Joseon skull discovered at the 16th century market district of Old Seoul City ruins in South Korea.

A human skull was discovered at the 16th-century drainage channel of market district ruins, one of the busiest streets in the capital of Joseon kingdom. By anthropological examination, we noticed the cut mark at the right occipital part of the cranium. Judging from the wound property, it might have been caused by a strong strike using a sharp-edged weapon. As no periosteal reaction or healing signs were observed at the cut mark, he might have died shortly after the skull wound was made. We speculated that this might have been of a civilian or soldier victim who died in a battle or the decapitated head of prisoner. This is the first report about the discovery of the skull damaged by sharp-edged weapon at the archaeological sites in the capital city of Joseon Kingdom.

The presence of sharp-edged weapon related cut mark in Joseon skull discovered at the 16th century market district of Old Seoul City ruins in South Korea / 대한해부학회지

A human skull was discovered at the 16th-century drainage channel of market district ruins, one of the busiest streets in the capital of Joseon kingdom. By anthropological examination, we noticed the cut mark at the right occipital part of the cranium. Judging from the wound property, it might have been caused by a strong strike using a sharp-edged weapon. As no periosteal reaction or healing signs were observed at the cut mark, he might have died shortly after the skull wound was made. We speculated that this might have been of a civilian or soldier victim who died in a battle or the decapitated head of prisoner. This is the first report about the discovery of the skull damaged by sharp-edged weapon at the archaeological sites in the capital city of Joseon Kingdom.

New insight on the underdrawing of 16th Flemish-Portuguese easel paintings by combined surface analysis and microanalytical techniques.

This paper focusses on the study of the underdrawings of 16th century easel paintings attributed to the workshop of the Portuguese-Flemish Master Frei Carlos. This investigation encompasses multidisciplinary research that relates the results of surface exams (infrared reflectography, standard light photography and infrared photography) with analytical investigations. The surface analysis of Frei Carlos' underdrawings by infrared reflectography has shown heterogeneous work, revealing two different situations: (1) an abundant and expressive underdrawing, revealing a Flemish influence and (2) a simple and outlined underdrawing. This preliminary research raised an important question related to this Portuguese-Flemish workshop and to the analytical approach: Is the underdrawing's heterogeneity, as observed in the reflectograms, related to different artists or is this rather an effect that is produced due to the use of different materials in the underdrawing's execution? Consequently, if different materials were used, how can we have access to the hidden underdrawings? In order to understand the reasons for this dissemblance, chemical analysis of micro-samples collected in underdrawing areas and representing both situations were carried out by optical microscopy, micro Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µ-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman). Taking into account the different possibilities and practical and theoretical limitations of surface and punctual examinations in the study of easel painting underdrawings, the methodology of research was adjusted, sometimes resulting in a re-analysis of experimental results. This research shows the importance of combining multispectral surface exams and chemical analysis in the understanding of the artistic creative processes of 16th century easel paintings.