378 A SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF 



He contributed one paper to the Royal Society, a ' Case of Dropsy of the 

 Breast' {Phil Trans, xix. (1697), p. 390); and this seems to have been the 

 extent of his literary productions. 



Though scarcely an author in the science, few men have advanced the 

 knowledge of the British flora more than Doody : he is a good example of 

 that class of scientific men who, without themselves printing, are yet of the 

 greatest help to those who do ; such men may exercise as great an influence 

 on the progress of science as the most proliflc authors. 



We have already mentioned Doody's interleaved copy of the second 

 edition of Bay's Synopsis. This valuable volume is in the library of the 

 British Museum (969, f. 21) ; it seems to have belonged to Doody's father, 

 and has his autograph, ' John Doody,' as well as Petiver's, to whom the 

 book afterwards belonged. It is alluded to by W. Sherard in a letter 

 to Dr. Richardson in 1723, where he says, 'My brother* copied Mr. 

 Doody's observations on the Synopsis for his own use : 'twas in the hands 

 of Mr. Petiver, and I suppose now in Sir Hans', where all things centre. 

 You know how exact and diligent a botanist he was, for which reason 

 I have entered t almost all his queries (which are generally of plants about 

 London), that the new set of botanists may go to the places mentioned and 

 examine them.' Most of these notes were accordingly incorporated into the 

 new edition of the Synopsis, and their source acknowledged by Dillenius in 

 the preface ; but a considerable number were omitted, on what grounds does 

 not appear. These, so far as they relate to Middlesex, we have supplied 

 from the original MSS. There are several other botanical books in the 

 British Museum of Doody's in which he has written notes, and some books 

 of medical receipts and prescriptions. 



His dried plants are to be found in vols. 60, 61, 145, 271, 286 and 288 

 of the Sloane Herbarium. Some are foreign, probably from Chelsea gardens. 



With regard to Middlesex, he was the first to notice the following 

 flowering plants, Eanunculus parviflorus, Teesdalia, Silene ivflata, Hyperi- 

 cum Elodes, Midicago denticulata, Trigonella, Lathyrus Aphaca, Myriophyl- 

 lum alterniflorum, Pvmpinella magna, Archangelica, Tordylmm, Arnoseris, 

 Verbascum Blattaria, Utrictilaria minor, Plantago major, Polygonum nodo- 

 sum, P. aviculare. Euphorbia 'platyfhylla, E. exigua, Populus alba, Acorus, 

 Eleocharis acicularis, Scirpus carinatus, S. TaberncBmontani, Carex panicu- 

 lata, C. pilulifera, Bactylis, Festuca gigantca and F. elatior. Of crypto- 

 gamic plants he added, Lastrea Filix-mas and Pilularia, besides very many 

 mosses, lichens, and fungi. 



He seems to have paid much attention to Hounslow Heath and its neigh- 

 bourhood, and has been quoted for some statements of discoveries there and 

 elsewhere, which are very improbable ; e.g. JBuffbnia, Carduus hetcrofhyllus, 

 Crepis foRtida, Euphorbia kiberna: reference to the pages of this Flora will 

 in several cases tend to absolve the accurate Doody from these blunders, 

 and to lay the blame of them on the right shoulders. 



* James Sherard, M.D., F.R.S., of Eltham, Kent. 

 t i.e., for tlie third edition of the Synopsis. 



