INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY. 
3 
cicely, or cow- weed, for parsneps, dog’s mercury for a 
spinage-herb, the berries of nightshade for esculent ones, 
and more especially the deleterious mushrooms for those 
that are eatable with some degree of safety, for, in truth, 
all are to be held as of doubtful salubrity. Now the skilful 
botanist, who can determine from the remains of what has 
been taken the cause of the symptoms, has an evident ad- 
vantage in respect to the mode of treating his patient, over 
one who is ignorant of the cause, and must therefore pre- 
scribe at random. And if the practitioner can thus save 
one fellow-creature from the grave, and restore him to his 
friends, far more a dear relative, a cherished companion, 
this alone would amply repay him for the study of this 
science. And it is on this account, that the Society of 
Apothecaries of London, to whom the legislation have 
lately committed the examination of persons intending to 
practise as apothecaries, have given public notice, that they 
expect the applicants for a license to be competent in me- 
dical botany. 
As to the economical or general use of botany, although 
it be of course more varied than the medical, less need be 
said about it. Our houses are principally built and fur- 
nished from the vegetable kingdom of nature; and this is 
also the case with ships and other vessels : plants furnish 
us with a very considerable part of our clothing; this 
clothing, and the ornamental drapery of our houses, is 
dyed of various colours by different vegetables. Hence 
the study of that science which exhibits these various uses 
cannot but be instructive to all. 
The diet of mankind is, in the warmer regions of the 
earth, almost entirely vegetable; as the climate becomes 
colder, more and more animal food is taken, until in the 
cold regions of the North, man becomes nearly a carni- 
vorous animal. But vegetables are never entirely disused 
by him ; hence a knowledge of them is of universal use, 
more especially to travellers, who may thus instruct a whole 
nation in the use of plants abundantly produced in their 
country, yet either disregarded by them, or even consi- 
dered as deleterious, although in fact one of the agreeable 
luxuries of the table : nor is this an idle supposition. The 
embassy sent from Bengal to Thibet observed in their route 
the strawberry growing plentifully in the woods ; on de- 
siring their conductors to gather some, they were informed 
that it was a poisonous berry : this naturally enough pro- 
duced some hesitation, lest they might be deceived by a 
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