A French interpretation of Galen's anatomy of the late Middle ages.

Abstract

The main objective of this research was,for the first time, to partially edit an anatomical text in middle french, the ms FR 19.991, a 15th century manuscript held by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. After restitution of the text (transcription, expansion of abbreviations and identification of rubricated sections) a glossary of all terms was compiled. The analysis of this anatomical treatise following the arabic galenic tradition revealed that it results from the assembly of at least three previous texts, the largest part of it (18 / 22 sections) following very closely the anatomia ricardi salertinani, translated from arabic to latin in the 12th century in the Salernitan school of medicine. The use of this treatise remains to be elucidated.