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almost every newspaper, and which daily and hourly find their way 

 to every family fireside, instilling their malicious poison even into 

 the minds of our children. 



Hence, a thorough study of the general science of botany, with 

 such an attention to medical botany, in particular, as would enable 

 every practitioner to readily recognize and understand the indi- 

 genous medicinal agents of his own neighbourhood, would do 

 more to correct the public mind, and stop the progress of the 

 various species of vegetable quackery, than any amount of penal 

 enactments. We not only infer this from the nature of the case, 

 but equally so from our own experience and observation. In- 

 deed, we do not remember a single instance within the circle of our 

 acquaintance where any one of the varieties of vegetable or Tliomp- 

 sonian doctors succeeded in gaining even a temporary foothold by 

 the side of a regularly educated physician who was well versed in 

 the medical botany of his own region. On the other hand, I have 

 known a veteran " root and herb" doctor, who had held a pretty good 

 practice for fifteen or twenty years against his neighbouring practi- 

 tioners, who, though graduates of some of our best medical colleges, 

 were almost wholly ignorant of botany, general or special, almost 

 entirely shorn of both his influence and practice in two or three 

 years by the settlement of a man who was well versed, not only in 

 medicine proper, but also the collateral sciences; and who lost no 

 opportunity to investigate the botany, geology, and meteorology of 

 his own district. Such a man will invariably satisfy any intelligent 

 community that his knowledge of roots and herbs even is a hundred- 

 fold more perfect than that of all the self-styled Thompsonian, Bo- 

 tanic, Indian, and herb doctors that infest human society. We hope 

 that the standard of preliminary education adopted by the recent Na- 

 tional Convention, and so cordially seconded by the various local so- 

 cieties, will soon bring about a better state of things in regard to this 

 subject. For we take it for granted that a good " English education" 

 includes a good knowledge of botany. If any doubt could be enter- 

 tained on this point, we should earnestly entreat the Association not 

 to adjourn until it had removed such doubt, by specifying this study 

 as an indispensable item in a preliminary education. 



But a third consideration, of equal importance with either of the 

 foregoing, is found in the variety, freshness, and purity of vegetable 

 remedies, which a knowledge of our indigenous medical botany always 

 places at the disposal of the practitioner. During the last few years 

 great and well-founded complaints have been made concerning the 



