ii INTRODUCTION. 



The second volume, although a medical w\ 

 has not been written for physicians only ; it 

 apprehensible and may be useful to all readers. Tc 

 render it the more acceptable to those in the East, 

 in addition to the Flora Medica of Cashmere, with 

 its properties and uses, as also those of many other 

 oriental plants and drugs, I have superadded a 

 Medical Vocabulary, in nine languages. 



A variety of discoveries," curious experiments, and 

 remarkable incidents, may be found in these vol- 

 umes, collected during a sojourn of many years — 

 useful, I hope, to both naturalists and historians. 



During my fifteen years' residence at Lahore, 

 as well as on my frequent journeys, I embraced every 

 opportunity of devoting my attention to the exami- 

 nation of the various medical systems of the day, 

 and to the experimenting on the qualities of nu- 

 merous medicines, whether known or unknown to 

 practitioners. Freed from every selfish motive, I 

 now ingenuously present to the British public, the 

 results of these researches, which were carried on 

 with unwearied perseverance. I am not under the 

 influence of the mania oi system-making \ my object 

 is, simply, to aid the alleviation of the sufi'erings of 

 humanity and to enrich science, as far as my abilities 

 may permit. I have been guided solely by the 

 proverb, *' Nulla re homo prop rius accedit ad Deum^ 

 quam salute hominibus danda /" i. e., " Nothing 

 brings man nearer to God, than man's helping his 

 suflfering fellow-creatures." 



It is no easy matter to eradicate systems which 

 have been deeply rooted for centuries. Who will 

 take upon himself the responsibility of a change 

 affecting the existence and welfare of myriads of 



