PREFACE. 



The first edition of this little work appeared towards 

 the close of 1850. It was intended as a commentary 

 to a choice collection of Cape medical drugs, sent by 

 Messrs. S H. Scheuble & Co. to the great London 

 Exhibition of 1851, and for which they obtained a well- 

 merited prize. 



In the meantime, my pamphlet met with a reception 

 which surpassed my most sanguine expectations, and as 

 it soon became scarce, on account of the very limited 

 number of copies printed at the time, I was m'ged by 

 different parties, to prepare and issue a second impression. 



Thus emboldened by repeated applications, I yield with 

 pleasure to the call, the more so, as I have since been 

 enabled to correct, improve, and make numerous additions. 



Having been left entirely to my own resources, I 

 greatly regret the total w^ant of co-operation on the part 

 of the country practitioners, who have daily and ample 

 opportunities of making themselves acquainted with the 

 various domestic remedies commonly used. 



The contents, therefore, of the present publication can 

 be considered only as preliminary, or as mere contribu- 

 tions to a more complete Cape Pharmacopoeia. There 

 can, indeed, be no doubt amongst reasonable men that, 

 judging from the vast extent of the South African Ter- 

 ritory^ and from the richness of its almost inexhaustible 

 Flora, many highly useful officinal drugs will still be 

 discovered. However, the greater part of" our informa- 

 tion on this point, we owe, not so much to scientific 

 research, as to the experience of the colonial flirmcr, 

 residing in the more remote parts of the interior, to 

 occasional travellers, or to the wanderino- native. 



