16th-century leaf with an illustration of a type of Unicorn known as a Camphur from Ambroise Paré’s Poisons

Paris: Chez G Boun, 1585. Unbound. Very good. This leaf (VIII.CIX-VIII.CX) measures approximately 8.25” x 12.5” and came from the 1585 printing of Les Oeuvres d’Ambroise . . . Des Venins. The images are strong. The leaf has some minor soiling and edge-wear. The upper right corner of the leaf is missing, but there is no loss to the text or images. It contains an illustration which the text (in a rough summarized translation of Paré’s French) describes as a Camphur, a fish-eating beast that lives on both land and water with a three and a half foot long horn on its forehead, rear feet like a goose, and front feet like a stag. Many have persuaded themselves (truncated) that the horn should be an antidote against poisons. Paré, the French royal surgeon for many years, was the preeminent surgeon of his time and is considered one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology as well as a pioneer of surgical techniques, battlefield medicine, and prosthetic design. He additionally had a scholarly interest in natural history, especially reports of “miraculous” or “monstrous” creatures and malformed births. (Inventory #: 008780)