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Mercuriale, Girolamo (1530-1606) Artis Gymnasticae apud Antiquos Celeberrimae.
Venice: Apud Juntas, 1569.
First edition, quarto, woodcut printer's device to title page and colophon leaf, illustrated with one folding engraved plan of an ancient gymnasium campus; bound in full contemporary limp parchment, fragments of ties, a bit of bio-predation to fore-edge of front cover; some marginal annotations; 8 1/2 x 6 in.
"Mercuriale, professor of medicine at Bologna and Pisa, is probably best known to modern students of medical history for the present work, first published in 1569. It was the first complete text on gymnastics and stresses the importance that all forms of exercise have in maintaining good health. Relying heavily on ancient practices, this work is an excellent compendium of the physical therapy of earlier times. Mercuriale describes ancient gymnasia and baths and discusses mild exercises such as dancing as well as more strenuous pursuits such as wrestling and boxing. He also gives full consideration to the health benefits of proper exercise and concludes the book with a section of therapeutic exercises." (Quoted from Heirs Hippocrates No. 354.)
