LIVERWORTS 103 



connection supposed to exist between certain of 

 these plants and the part of the human organisation 

 from which they take their distinctive name : 

 " In the dark ages of medicine, when the doctrine 

 of ' signatures ' was in fashion, the strongly 

 marked epidermic cells were supposed to resemble 

 the structure of the liver, and the species were 

 esteemed ' a sovran remedy ' in liver complaints." 

 Thus, too, in a work entitled " The Complete 

 Herbal," written by Nicholas Culpeper, M.D., and 

 dated "from my house in Spitalfields, next door 

 to the Red Lion, September 5, 1653," and which 

 is stated in the title-page to contain a reference to 

 " upwards of one hundred additional herbs, with 

 the display of their Medicinal and occult Qualities 

 physically applied to the cure of all disorders 

 incident to mankind," we read that the liverwort 

 is " under the dominion Jupiter, and under the 

 sign of Cancer," and that, " it is a singularly good 

 herb for all diseases of the liver, both to cool and 

 cleanse it, and helps the inflammations in any part, 

 and the yellow jaundice likewise." It is, however, 

 from a totally different point of view that I wish 

 to introduce my readers to these interesting little 

 plants. And while I do not propose to give an 

 opinion as to how far certain of them, which are 

 specially alluded to in the passage above quoted, 

 may prove a corrective for the troublesome com- 

 plaint referred to, yet if an object for country 

 walks, and a never-ending resource for the 



