NICCOLÒ MASSA’S

MEDICAL

EPISTLES

VOLUME ONE,

IN WHICH ARE TREATED THOSE MATTERS WHICH
seem to pertain both to medical Theory and Practice, and which also contain questions concerning the immortality of Souls, the creation of the World, and the faculty of Logic. Niccolò Massa (1485–1569) was a prominent Venetian physician. This volume reflects the Renaissance ideal of the "physician-philosopher," combining practical medical advice with deep philosophical inquiries into the nature of the soul and the universe.

TO THIS SECOND EDITION HAVE BEEN ADDED SEVERAL EPISTLES, OR CONSULTATIONS, WHICH had not been published before; especially a short work on the plague that troubled the city of VENICE in the year 1556. Medical "consultations" were formal letters written by doctors to colleagues or patients regarding specific cases, serving as a primary way medical knowledge was shared before the era of modern journals.

With grace and privilege.

original: "Cum gratia & priuilegio." This indicates that the printer had been granted exclusive rights to publish this work by the Venetian Senate, a precursor to modern copyright. [Library stamp: SOCIETY OF THE BIBLE, SECOND CONGREGATION] from the books of Pratensis? original: "ex libris Pratensis." This likely refers to an owner from the town of Prato, or perhaps a person named Prati. Master Guidi Bubli original: "D. Guidi Bublij." This is a handwritten owner's mark. [Circular blue stamp, illegible]

Venice, from the Star workshop of Giordano Ziletti,

1 5 5 8.

Giordano Ziletti was a well-known Venetian publisher. His printer's mark, described in the metadata, features a star ("stella"), which gave his workshop its name. Venice was the capital of European printing during this period.