Digitisation of medical manuscripts (360G-Wellcome-105073_Z_14_A)

The medical collection at Pembroke consists of seven bound volumes of manuscripts, dating from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, each containinga mixture of texts. It is thought that they may have been in the possession ofThomas Clayton (1575-1647), the first Master of Pembroke College, and Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. The texts represent the typical medical canon of medieval medicine, including older copies of well-known texts, which are of particular interest when compared to similar copies from around the world. The objective of the project is to ensure the preservation of these manuscripts for the future, and to improve access to them for the world-wide scholarly community. Following a Wellcome Trust funded conservation survey, the first part of this project will seek to improve the condition of the manuscripts by carrying out the recommended conservation work, including cleaning and minor repairs. Once completed, new archive boxes will be made to ensure that they are stored safely to maintain their condition. After the conservation work, the manuscripts will be photographed by Bodleian Imaging Services, who are able to take high quality images without damage to the manuscripts. This will provide digital surrogates for the manuscripts, which will be mounted on a public website, accessible from anywhere and for everyone. The resource will be publicised through the Medical Humanities community, ensuring wide access for all who wish to consult the texts.