Ledermann, François (Author)
Atti e Memorie, Rivista di Storia della Farmacia
Volume: 35
Issue: 1
Pages: 13-19
Among the animals that populate the history of pharmacy, the unicorn occupies a particular place between natural sciences, religion and mythology. There are numerous representations of the animal in art and literature. Already in the "Physiologus," an early Christian collection from which the medieval bestiaries came out, the unicorn symbolizes purity and chastity, later an allegory of physical love. During the Renaissance, the unicorn entered the world of therapy and pharmacy without often losing its legendary character. This paper focuses on two libraries of Bern containing descriptions and illustrations of the unicorn. The Burgerbibliothek of Bern, rich of numerous elderly documents, contains a manuscript of the “Physiologus”, with a text illustrated with the title "De animale unicornium." The codex was produced in the Reims area in France around 830. The historical library of the Swiss pharmacy houses several volumes that mention the animal, in particular an edition of the Histoire générale des drogues, traitant des plantes, des animaux, & des minéraux published by the Parisian apothecary Pierre Pomet. The unicorn appears also in the volume of Alexander Tschirch’s "Handbook of Pharmacognosy," consecrated to the animals. These examples underline the cultural dimension of some drugs used in the past, the unicorn accompanying other products of the animal kingdom like the beaver, the snakes, even the man.
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