University Library of Bern UB

Exhibitions

Herbs and distillation for life

In 1552 the first edition of Gessner's De remediis secretis (shelfmark: MUE Rar alt 7180) appeared in Latin under the pseudonym Euonymus Philiater. It includes practical knowledge from the areas of medicine, botany and chemistry.

In his treatise Gessner focuses on the art of distillation. The wool condenser (top) was used for separating and filtering substances. They could be kept at a constant temperature in the Bain-Marie (left). Gessner's knowledge originated from older sources, discussions with other scholars and experimentation on animals and even himself.

De raris et admirandis herbis (shelfmark: MUE AD 89) deals with lunar herbs, i.e. plants that allegedly shine at night. This book illustrates the sundew, a carnivorous species found in Ireland.

Gessner's biography appeared just one year after his death, published by Josias Simmler (shelfmark: MUE Klein n44 : 1). Its appendix contains examples of plant images, e.g. the turpentine tree.

Gessner's images lived on, for example in the works of Casimir Christoph Schmiedel and Pietro Andrea Mattioli. The Italian doctor and botanist used Gessner's illustrations for his own book of herbs (shelfmark: MUE Zesa 11), which originally appeared in Latin in 1571. This is his colored illustration of the turpentine tree.