07-03-2026, 09:30 AM
(06-03-2026, 06:56 PM)pjburkshire wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.- Alchemy / Distillation / Pharmacology
I voted for that one, but AFAIK alchemy and pharmacology were generally separate disciplines at the time. There may have been attempts by some alchemists to create medicines, but they must have been spectacular failures. Pharmacology became a specialty of Chemistry only in the late 1800s or early 1900s
As you may have heard
I am now totally convinced that the Starred Parags section (SPS, quire 20) is what was called a "materia medica": a list of medicines (from plants, animals, or minerals), each with a terse list of its medical uses or benefits. It may mention en passant some alchemical uses of some substances, but will spend no more that a couple of words on that.I also guess (but not sure) that the Herbal section will turn out to be similar, but devoted to plants only, and probably has more details on dosage and preparation. Like typical European herbals of the time.
Anyway, I am also convinced that each section is an independent book, and there is little if any connection between the sections, other than the language and script. So maybe you should post a separate poll for each section?
All the best, --stolfi