En torno a las boticas y boticarios renacentistasliteratura profesional, farmacopeas y materia médica en la Europa del humanismo

Resumo

Our analysis begins with an approach to the figure of the apothecary in the Renaissance Europe, we will discuss how the work of these professionals is understood, their training and the way -and the environment- in which they used to carry out their activity. We will then deal with how and why a specialized literature, particularly pragmatic, is developed for this group leading to the devising of some 'recipe books' which, once endorsed by an authority, will be known as pharmacopoeias. The content of the texts 'for apothecaries' leads us to become interested in the Renaissance medical issues, particularly in the elements that led to the overcoming of classical knowledge, which we will analyze through a trio of items: the boom of botanical gardens and cabinets of curiosities, the making of herbaria and the publication of texts with realistic images.