Bovio's polemic works defending Paracelsian medicine

A rare collected edition of Antonio Bovio’s polemics in defense of Paracelsian medicine and alchemical practice.

Printed in the early 17th century, this scarce volume brings together several of Bovio’s combative works championing Paracelsian theory and denouncing contemporary “rational” medicine.

Antonio Bovio — a noble Veronese physician, alchemist, astrologer, and outspoken Paracelsian — was both influential and notorious. Admired by followers of chemical medicine and condemned by orthodox physicians, he was even branded an impostor by some contemporaries.

In 1583, Bovio issued Flagello de’ Medici Rationali, a fierce pamphlet attacking learned medical practice. The backlash was swift: the physician Girolamo Donzellini responded under the pseudonym “Claudio Gelli” with Riposta ad un certo libro contra medici rationali (1584), publicly accusing Bovio of fraud.

The present volume contains Bovio’s rebuttals, including the separately titled Risposta dell’eccellente dottor Claudio Gelli, in which Bovio turns Donzellini’s pseudonym against him.

Bovio’s writings were reprinted well into the 17th century, evidence of the enduring influence and popularity of Paracelsian and alchemical thought. This edition offers valuable insight into early modern medical disputes, the rise of chemical philosophy, and the rhetorical battles that shaped intellectual history.

A compelling item for collectors of:

• History of Medicine & Science
• Alchemy and Paracelsian Thought
• Renaissance Polemics and Heresiology
• Italian Scientific Printing

Secure this scarce and culturally significant volume before it disappears into another collection.