INTRODUCTION. lvii 



lie brought to the notice of the medical profession several medi- 

 cinal plants in common use amongst the inhabitants of India. 

 The advantages which Saharanpore possesses for the naturali- 

 zation of plants of the colder regions induced him to try and 

 cultivate the medicinal plants of other countries. He also contri- 

 buted an excellent paper on the Bazar medicines to the Journal 

 of the Bengal Asiatic Society.* 



Mention should also be made to the labors of the Agri- 

 Horticultural Society. The Society with its branches in different 

 parts of India has rendered some help to the cause of indigenous 

 drugs, as is evident by the Transactions of the Society. 



Sir William O'Shaughuessy, who was the first Director of 

 Telegraphs in India and occupied the chair of Chemistry at the 

 Medical College, Calcutta, spent many years in investigating 

 the subject of indigenous drugs. Several drugs were for the 

 first time chemically analysed by him. Dr. Wallich, who was 

 at that time in charge of the Calcutta Botanical Garden, 

 rendered him much help in identifying the medicinal plants of 

 India. The combined labors of O'Shaughnessy and Wallich 

 have produced the valuable pharmacopoeia of Bengal, published 

 under the authority of the Government of Bengal in 1844. No 

 pains were spared by O'Shaughnessy to make use of the labors 

 of his predecessors. The publication of this work gave a fresh 

 stimulus to the study of in ligenous drugs. The subject even 

 engaged the attention of chemists and pharmaceutists of Europe, 

 and several drugs were admitted as officinal in the pharmaco- 

 poeias of other countries. 



The holding of exhibitions has been the most important 

 means in increasing our knowledge of indigenous drugs. I 

 doubt if the amount of information which we possess at present 

 about indigenous drugs could have been derived from any other 

 source. The idea of exhibitions originated with the late Prince 

 Albert, under whose auspices the first one was held in London 

 in 1851. Dr. Royle was placed in charge of indigenous drugs, but 

 I do not think the first exhibition, which was rather a trial, made 



* This paper was published under the title " Articles of Materia Medica 

 obtained in the Bazars of India," in the first volume of the Bengal Asiatic 

 Society's Journal. 

 H 



