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Title page of the second part of Vigo’s surgical treatise, Compendiosa, containing summaries of material dealt with at greater length in the first part, the Copiosa; French translation (1525) by Nicolas Godin of Vigo’s Latin text. This is almost certainly the edition to which Paré refers when he says he had read Vigo on the treatment of gunshot wounds before the campaign into northern Italy of 1537.

This is the passage to which Paré refers:

Vigo 1525. Compendiosa book I, Of wounds in general, ch. VIII (folio IX verso.)

The eighth chapter, of the remedies useful for envenomed wounds and for wounds made by poisonous beasts: and for wounds made by bombards: and of the removal of the sixth finger [i.e. of a supernumerary digit] and the treatment of an amputated foot or hand.

We have said in our copieuse [first part of the book on surgery] that the claws and teeth of beasts are venomous and that wounds made by firearms are infected with venom because of the powder and the treatment of the said wounds does not differ greatly. To come quickly to the treatment: if the wound is made by a horse, by a monkey or by a dog, or by a similar beast and given that the wound is large: one must cauterize the place with oil of elderberry with which should be mixed a little tiriaca galeni [treacle]. And, for wounds made by firearms it suffices to cauterize the place with oil of elderberry or with linseed oil ……….

Images from a digital copy of : 

Vigo, G. da. 1525 De Vigo en françoys : sensuit la practique et cirurgie de Jehan de Vigo : nouvellement translatée de latin en françoys a lutilité publique, et principalement des cirurgiens : et est divisées en deux parties... Lyon: Benoist Bounyn.

from Gallica Server, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ with permission.

Translation © IML Donaldson, 2004