xW PREFACE. 



names to all, fliort, eafy, and oftentimes 

 lignificant, a thing never fo much as at- 

 tempted before. He has brought into 

 botany, a precifion, concifenefs and ele- 

 gance, that were very much wanted. He 

 has obferved and given names to fome parts 

 of plants not taken notice of by any other 

 botanift, parts which in fome cafes are fuf- 

 ficient as well as neceffary to diftinguifh 

 the genus and the fpecies. 



The Philofophia botanica ^ of this author 

 affords throughout inftances of this re- 

 formation. Had he wrote no other book 

 but this, he would have deferved the 

 higheft praife from all lovers of botany. 

 For befidesthe improvements juft mention- 

 ed it comprehends in a fhort compafs fome- 



^ In the year 1750. when he was writing this book, 

 as he tells us in the preface to it, he was hindered from 

 going on by a terrible fit of the gout, that broke the 

 ftrength of his mind as well as body. In the year 1755, 

 he fays, Flor. Suec. article 450. that he had been freed 

 from the gout for fome years by eating great quantities 

 of freih flrawberries. He adds that this fruit difTolves 

 the tartar of the teeth, that it is remarkably good for 

 people aiHi(5ted with the ftone of gout, and that it may 

 be fafely eaten in abundance, 



thing 



