Liberati de liberatis podagra politica seu tractarus podagricus

An early and classic work on gout and its treatment, this 1655 edition of Podagra Politica…, according to WorldCat (a global catalog database) is held in only twenty-six libraries in the world. The frontispiece of the book has been particularly useful to researchers of the disease as the image depicted demonstrates an early method of treating gout by drawing away and evacuating a sore by the use of setons and issues.

Condition and treatment: This is a pocket-sized 17^th century stiff board vellum binding with blind tooled decoration. The book measures three inches wide by five inches tall. Because it has been stored unhoused, the vellum covered boards are warped and in need of humidification and flattening. The edges of the engraved frontispiece is also damaged and will be treated to fill paper loss. Additionally, conservation staff will add hinges along edges of leaves that are in danger of detaching. To protect the binding during long-term storage and handling, the binding will be housed in a custom cloth covered clamshell with an integrated cradle. The enclosure will be constructed with fill to create a 5 x 7 inch enclosure to prevent the book from becoming lost due to its small size.