NATURE 



[Marc 11 if). 191 1 



botanists whose influence on the science is realised 



by few, and whom it is well to ronicmbrr with respect 

 and jjratilude. The book is wholly devoted to the 

 early bej^inninj^s of the l<n(>wled|^e of plants, and to 

 the revival of their siudv in the fifteenth and sixteenth 

 centuries. It is noi t \M>ik to be taken up to pass a 

 leisure half hour. < )ni l.ds disposed at times to 

 question the author '-- jn i -i ntalion of his subject, t)ut 

 when the book has l)een read throuf»h t)ne feels that it 

 has well repaid the effort in the sufjfjestive lij^hts it 

 has thrown on the past, on problems that are still with 

 us, as well as on others that are no longer problems 

 because solved for us by those early botanists. The 

 treatment of the subject makes this book a valuable 

 complement to the well-known " History of Botany " 

 by Prof. Sachs, and there is much additional informa- 

 tion in it. 



Dr. Greene frequently is drawn into philosophical 

 discussions in the definitions of his subjects. He de- 

 fines the science of botany for the present work as 

 occupied with the contemplation of plant as related to 

 plant, and with the whole vegetable kingdom as 

 viewed philosophically — not economically or com- 

 mercially — in its relation to the mineral on one 

 hand and to the animal on the other. From this point 

 of view he recognises the beginnings of the science 

 in the study of plants as plants, apart from their real 

 or supposed econoniit- worth. He finds true botanical 

 science in the natural groups of popular language, and 

 even in such terms as "herbs," "trees," and "grass," 

 and still more clearly in such as "clover," "oak," &c. 

 The correlation in value or kind of these and the like 

 with the "genera" of systematic classification is in- 

 sisted on. He concludes his introduction with im- 

 pressing the view that " the essence and substance of 

 botany proper are organography and the logical de- 

 ductions we may draw from organography. The line 

 of development of organography— as including ter- 

 minology—is that along which a truly coherent and 

 philosophic account of botany must be written." 



A brief chapter is devoted to the Rhizotomi, whose 

 maxims — so readily condemned as superstitions — he 

 gives reasons to regard as in many cases judicious 

 and well-founded. 



By far the greater part of the book is occupied with 

 brief biographies and detailed consideration of the 

 work of five writers : Theophrastus of Eresus, Otto 

 Brunfels, Leonhard Fuchs, Hieronymus Bock 

 (Tragus), and Valerius Cordus. Short chapters on 

 Greek and Roman writers after Theophrastus, on the 

 early German writers, and on Euricius Cordus, father 

 of Valerius, complete the volume. 



Few botanists can claim to have gained a know- 

 ledge from his own writings of the part filled by 

 Theophrastus in the progress of botany. To most Dr. 

 Greene's estimate of his work will prove a revelation 

 of a very surprising kind. The minute and careful 

 analysis of the information contained in the two books 

 that have survived, in an unfortunatelv imperfect 

 state, shows that he was a genius and investigator 

 far in advance of other botanists of his time. A re- 

 capitulation is given at the close of the ch,i])tei- indi- 

 cating seventeen heads regarded as "elements of 

 universal botany of which Theophrastus appears to 

 NO. 2159, VOL. 86] 



have been the discoverer and first promulgat 

 While it may be felt in regard to some of these 

 Dr. Greene is disposed to press the point unduly, 

 larger part are of such importance as to justify 

 claim to a front rank among botanists, and to s 

 the inadequacy of the judgment expressed on hin 

 Sachs' book. 



Jirief notices of Dioscorides, Varro, Virgil, I'l 

 (ialen, and (Hhers, bring out the contrast of i 

 with Theophrastus, their inspiration being chiefl\ 

 study of plants for their useful or harmful proper 

 though they also added at times to the knowled^ 

 plants as plants. During the long period of i 

 than twelve centuries after the time of Galen, 

 natural sciences, instead of advancing, fell much 

 decay, and were in part represented by such work- .. . 

 the " Ortus Sanitatis," filled with grotesque figures 

 and strange perversions of the trlith. 



The reawakening from this condition is placed by 

 German historians of the science, such as Meyer and 

 Sachs, in the sixteenth century, when the " Herbarum 

 Vivae Iceones," of Otto Brunfels, was issued, and was 

 succeeded by, among others, the works of Fuchs. 

 Tragus, and Valerius Cordus. Brunfels and Fuchs, he 

 points out, busied themselves almost wholly with 

 plants as medicinally valuable ; and their books art 

 little more than compilations illustrated by figures ot 

 the plants to which they believed their borrowed de- 

 scriptions referred. These figures were excellent ir 

 comparison with those in use previous to Brunfels 

 but in other respects neither Brunfels nor Fuchs car 

 be shown to have made any important step forward 

 Fuchs introduced his " Historia Stirpium " with "Ar 

 Explanation of Difficult Terms," from which his view; 

 on the structure of plants can be gathered, and an 

 found in general to be retrograde from those expresset 

 by Theophrastus. 



Bock or Tragus (1498-1554) had a different point o 

 view from Brunfels and Fuchs, and may deservedlj 

 be accepted as having opened the new era of botany 

 He studied plants for their own sakes ; and, possibly ii 

 part from inability through poverty to employ illus 

 trations in his " New Krauterbuch," he sought t< 

 describe them so clearly as to make it possible fo 

 others to recognise them from the descriptions alone 

 He wrote his books in German instead of the cus 

 tomary mediaeval Latin ; a translation into Latin beinj 

 afterwards issued for use in other countries. H' 

 merely names the common and well-known plants 

 describing the scarcer and previously unknown forms 

 His method required, and was based on, very carefu 

 personal investigation ; and he thus was able and wa 

 led to make important contributions to the science ii 

 various directions. Dr. Greene discusses Tragus' 

 views on classification, nomenclature, ecology, &c- 

 very suggestively and justly, with full recognition o 

 his great merits but also calling attention to errors. 



Euricius Cordus is given a place of honour for hi 

 sole botanical work, in which he points to defects 11 

 the study of botany in his day, but still more as th 

 father and teacher of A'alerius Cordus. The latte 

 died at the age of twenty-nine, while travelling \\ 

 Italy, but had won reputation by a work on the pre 

 paration of medicines published during his lifetime 



