Bluepharma, in partnership with the University of Coimbra, launches a facsimile edition of Pharmacopea Bateana. This is the eighth release that integrates a reissue project of ten emblematic Portuguese Pharmacopoeias, in collaboration with the General Library of the University of Coimbra and the Coimbra University Press.
The presentation of the book, held in the São Pedro Room of the General Library, was held by João Rui Pita, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Coimbra, with the presence of Amílcar Falcão, Rector of the University, João Gouveia Monteiro , Director of the General Library of the University of Coimbra and Alexandre Dias Pereira, Director of the University Press.
First published in 1690 by the prestigious British clinician George Bate, Pharmacopea Bateana arrived in Portugal in 1713 in a translation by D. Caetano de Santo António, which explains why it was decided to go ahead with this work: reading it I found such excellent recipes that I communicated them to some very knowledgeable Professors of Medicine, as well as of Pharmacy, who asked me to have them printed.
The reprint now presented also includes some important topics that D. Caetano, based on his professional experience, added to the original.
In a year that celebrates 20 years of history, Bluepharma thus affirms its commitment to a project that began in 2014 and will last for another two years. In total, ten pharmacopoeias will be reissued, in a careful selection by Professor João Rui Pita, to evoke knowledge of the past and facilitate its sharing in the future.
For the President of Bluepharma, Paulo Barradas Rebelo, “the sharing of historical knowledge is essential. We recognize and respect the contribution of our ancestors, which has brought us to the present time, and we consider it important to always celebrate it with eyes set on the future.”.
The University of Coimbra is proud to continue to disseminate, in conditions of great scientific and editorial dignity, our richest bibliographic and documentary heritage. In a partnership that has proven to be very productive and affectionate, we continue along a path of dissemination of knowledge within society, a crucial prerequisite for making informed decisions and for the existence of sustainable policies.