Physician's handbook

Wellcome MS.8004 – the 'physician's handbook' - is an English medical and astrological compendium of some 100 leaves written in the middle of the 15th century. The introduction to the calendar that opens the book states that it was begun in the year 1454, and it is reasonable to assume that the entire contents were completed soon after that date. Internal and linguistic evidence suggests that the writer came from the East Midlands, possibly from Lincolnshire. The manuscript was formerly in the library of the Dukes of Newcastle at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, until that collection was dispersed in 1938. It was acquired by the Wellcome Library in 2002.

WMS.8004 is especially interesting because it appears to represent a unified campaign of book production for an owner who wanted fine copies of the various texts and tables appropriate to his profession or interests, in his own language. The contents are almost exclusively in English, which is quite unusual for a medical book of this date. In addition to the medical and astronomical components, there is a lengthy pilgrimage text (ff.75-84v. - pp.144-161) describing the journey from London to Jerusalem. Some of the former texts contained in the book are unique, such as that on blood-letting (f.18 - p.32) and on celestial distances (f.49 - p.96), and others are very rare. The pilgrimage guide may also be unique, and is certainly so in association with medical texts. The entire manuscript is richly decorated and illuminated, with lavish use of gold.

Neither the owner nor the scribe are known, but we can speculate that the work was commissioned by a wealthy provincial medical practitioner, keen to assemble the tools of his trade and other works of special interest to him in a book for enjoyment and display. Alternatively the commissioner may have been a layman with medical interests. Whatever the truth, WMS.8004 provides a unique view of the medical culture of late medieval England.

Input was sought - via on online questionnaire - on whether the approach employed during the 'physician's handbook' digitisation project met user needs. The results of this evaluation are now available.
Download evaluation report [PDF 348KB]