Catalogue of Tibetan manuscripts and xylographs, and catalogue of thankas, banners and other paintings and drawings in the Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine

MARIANNE WINDER, Catalogue of Tibetan manuscripts and xylographs, and catalogue of thankas, banners and other paintings and drawings in the Library of the Wellcome Institutefor the History ofMedicine, London, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1989, 4to, pp. xiii, 112, illus., £15.00. The Library of the Wellcome Institute houses a considerable number of Tibetan manuscripts, blockprints, and painted scrolls, which were purchased for Sir Henry Wellcome, who had a personal interest in the diverse medical traditions of Asia. The publication of this catalogue by Marianne Winder, who is an expert on the history of Tibetan medicine, will be well received by Tibetologists and students of Tibetan medicine in particular. Combining precision and clarity, it provides useful cross-references for texts in other collections. The Wellcome collection of manuscripts and xylographs comprises 151 entries, and that of thankas, banners, charts, and amulets, 57 items, including illustrations of blood-letting and moxa points, and anatomical charts. The quality of the illustrations, including twelve in colour, is splendid, and they are described in detail. Bibliographies accompany the two main sections of the catalogue, and there are indexes of proper names, of Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, and Chinese words, and of English equivalents. The sections on 'Tibetan Medicine' include brief histories of medicine, materia medica, and practice. But there are also sections on spiritual healing, astronomy, and astrology, which are also connected with Tibetan medicine, not to mention geomancy and exorcism, which also have sections. All are treated with equal precision. This volume, much more than a catalogue, will be a treasure trove for anyone concerned with this branch of knowledge, and it would not be surprising if it stimulated its readers to visit the Wellcome Institute. With this work Marianne Winder has made an important contribution towards the preservation of Tibetan culture.