Sunday, June 1, 2014

Zielnik- Herbarzem





     Zielnik Herbarzem (1613)

Authored by Polish botanist Szymon Syreniusz Syrénski, the Zielnik Herbarzem often referred to as the Polish Herbarium, was printed in Krakow in 1613.  It was acquired by the University of Manitoba Libraries in 1950. The Herbarium is composed of 1,538 pages of Polish, Latin and German text and illustrations. It contains an index of illnesses and cures in Polish and three separate indices of plants in Latin, Polish and German. It provides the origins of some of the plants that are used for medicinal and culinary purposes. One such example, is the use of beer yeast in alleviating painful and swollen limbs.

This very rare antiquarian book is housed in the Rare Book Room of the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Call Number: Slav RBR  QK 41 S97 1613. To view the Zielnik Herbarzem, please visit the Archives & Special Collections, 330 Elizabeth Dafoe Library.