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Francesco Redi Letters

 Collection
Identifier: MS C 440

Abstract

In 1666 Grand Duke Ferdinando II appointed Redi as his First Physician and director of the grand-ducal "Spezieria" (Pharmacy): positions in which he was confirmed by Cosimo III in 1670, when he became Grand Duke. He stressed the importance of medicine based on Hippocratic principles, and he emphasised the importance of prevention based on a balanced diet and the use of exclusively natural remedies. The collection contains twelve letters discussing topics such as snakes, medical matters, and literature.

Dates

  • 1683-1693

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 box; 12 letters)

Creator

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Language of Materials

Collection materials primarily in Italian

Restrictions

Collection is not restricted. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding access.

Copyright and Re-use Information

The National Library of Medicine believes these materials to be in the public domain. Archival collections often contain mixed copyrights; while NLM is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. It is the user's responsibility to research and understand any applicable copyright and re-publication rights not allowed by fair use. NLM does not grant permissions to publish.

Privacy Information

Archives and manuscript collections may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in any collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which the National Library of Medicine assumes no responsibility.

Biographical Note

In 1666 Grand Duke Ferdinando II appointed Redi as his First Physician and director of the grand-ducal "Spezieria" (Pharmacy): positions in which he was confirmed by Cosimo III in 1670, when he became Grand Duke. So Redi spent much of his life at the Medici's Court and was, after Galileo, a unique example of scientist and courtier. He stressed the importance of medicine based on Hippocratic principles, and he emphasised the importance of prevention based on a balanced diet and the use of exclusively natural remedies. Most importantly, he helped invent the method of experimental biology and was involved in the greatest discovery of 17th century medicine: the origin of scabies from mites. His first publication, in 1664, was study of the toxicity, the origin and the mode of injection of snake venom.

Collection Summary

Twelve letters discussing topics such as snakes, medical matters, and literature. Correspondents include Queen Christina of Sweden, V. da Filicara, Padre Baldigiani, Domenico Bettoni, Domenico David, M.D., and Redi's brother Giovanni Battista Redi. The letters are arranged chronologically and can be identified by a small pencil number in the upper left-hand corner.

Abstract

In 1666 Grand Duke Ferdinando II appointed Redi as his First Physician and director of the grand-ducal "Spezieria" (Pharmacy): positions in which he was confirmed by Cosimo III in 1670, when he became Grand Duke. He stressed the importance of medicine based on Hippocratic principles, and he emphasised the importance of prevention based on a balanced diet and the use of exclusively natural remedies. The collection contains twelve letters discussing topics such as snakes, medical matters, and literature.

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Provenance

The twelve letters in the Francesco Redi Collection were purchased from Hertzberger in 1972.

General

Processed by
HMD Staff
Encoded by
Dan Jenkins
Title
Finding Aid to the Francesco Redi Letters, 1683-1693
Status
Unverified Partial Draft
Author
HMD Staff
Date
2000
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latn
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English
Edition statement
Version 1.0

Revision Statements

  • July 2004: PUBLIC "-//National Library of Medicine::History of Medicine Division//TEXT (US::DNLM::MS C 440::Francesco Redi Letters)//EN" "redi" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).

Collecting Area Details

Part of the Archives and Modern Manuscripts Collection Collecting Area

Contact:
8600 Rockville Pike
Bldg 38/1E-21, MSC 3819
Bethesda MD 20894 US
1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656)