A Theriac advertisement (1688)

A Theriac advertisement (1688)

The miracle medicine Theriac was a major export article for Venice for several centuries, but what was it supposedly good for?

Luckily for us, several Venetian apothecaries made sales material in other languages, and some of it has made it all the way to us.

This is the English text for such a promotional flyer from a Venetian pharmacy, the Speziaria al Paradiso on the Riva del Vin close to the Rialto bridge, printed in Venice in 1688.

The flyer is bilingual English-Venetian, so clearly intended for foreigners, and Englishmen in particular.

#histodons #Medicine #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/translation/a-theriac-advertisement-1688/