Materia Medica, a 15th-century medical manuscript written in Gaelic.
This 15th-century manuscript about pharmacy and remedies is one of 15 medical manuscripts once owned by the Beaton family that is held in the Library's collections.
The Beatons were the most renowned family of Gaelic medical practitioners. This manuscript belonged to James Beaton of Dervaig on the Isle of Mull, and includes notes added by a number of later Beaton physicians.
Written in the Gaelic script, this volume shows that Gaelic medicine was built on the classical medical tradition that was also being studied in the rest of Europe.
Bought in 1736.
[Library reference: Adv.MS.72.1.3]
This item was on display from March to September 2022.
