BOTANY AND MEDICINE 455 



substrates and to fertilizers, precursors which are known to be either starting 

 points or intermediates in the biosynthesis of the desired compound. Increased 

 production of certain antibiotics such as penicillin was brought about as a 

 result of numerous studies in this area. 



The literature is now expanding with the reports of both academic and 

 applied aspects of this phase of research. Although much of the knowledge of 

 the how and why of natural-product formation is lacking and truly hypothet- 

 ical, nevertheless fragments of the biochemical puzzle are gradually being 

 put together and it is very likely that the several ramifications of these pur- 

 suits will soon influence greatly the search for new and better drug products 

 from plants. Thus concepts of plant physiology and biochemistry enter phases 

 of medicine both from an academic and practical standpoint. 



Conclusion. Plant cells fundamentally are chemical factories, and many 

 possess a rich supply of therapeutically useful constituents. As long as man 

 is driven to seek better medicines, particularly those which have selective 

 actions, he will explore the laboratories of nature. With the improved tech- 

 niques at his command today (and these undoubtedly will be expanded in 

 the future), it is likely that new drugs will continuously emerge from plants. 

 Many of these will be the result of the re-investigations of older botanicals, 

 and the clues for pursuing such investigations will frequently come from a 

 more careful attention to the history of botany in medicine and to the customs 

 and folklore remedies of bygone generations. Other new drugs will come from 

 the great efforts of the chemist who seeks by the application of the simple 

 and most complex rules of organic chemistry to modify the products of nature 

 in order to suit his objectives in medicinal chemistry. 



Obviously, drug plant chemistry in botany has loomed largest of all since 

 the age of the herbals in the relationships of this science with medicine. On 

 the other hand, from the beginning of medicine a knowledge of plant distri- 

 bution, morphology, and taxonomy has played a supportive role in the pro- 

 curement of plants for medical purposes. As long as plant drugs are tools in 

 medical diagnosis and treatment of disease, specializations in botany must 

 be consulted. Indeed, newer knowledge in plant physiology, genetics, and 

 plant biochemistry contribute well to the fundamental studies of medical 

 biochemistry and pharmacology. 



