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Having studied die first elements of my profession under 
Mr., now Dr. A. T. Thomson, Professor of Materia Medica 
in University College, a whose zeal in acquiring I ever 
found equalled only by his desire to communicate infor- 
mation; and having subsequently attended the comprehensive 
Course of Lectures on Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and 
Dietetics, by Dr. Home, in the University of Edinburgh, 
it may be presumed that I acquired some predilection for 
this branch of study. But it was only at the request of the 
Medical Board of Bengal, to investigate the Materia Medica 
of India, that I was induced to turn my attention more 
particularly to the subject. It would be tedious to relate 
the various measures I adopted for acquiring a knowledge 
of the substances at present in use in the several parts of 
that extensive empire; as well as for pointing out the sources 
whence a still greater variety might, if desirable, be obtained. 
It is enough to say, that I made collections of every thing 
'that was procurable in their bazars, tracing them as much 
as possible to the plants, animals, and countries, whence 
they were derived. I had the native works on Materia 
Medica collated by competent Hakeems and Moonshees, 
and the several articles arranged under the three heads of the 
animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. I made then a cata- 
logue of the whole, in which, after the most usually received 
name, the several synonyms were added ; and the part of 
the animal or plant used, the medical properties ascribed 
to it, and the country whence it was procured, were severally 
inserted. When successful in tracing the substance, I inserted 
the systematic Natural-Historical name, the Linnaean class 
and order, and especially the Natural Family of the plant. 
Subsequently the more important articles were arranged, 
according to the principles which they afforded ; as acids, 
alkalis, fecula, gums, resins, oils, &c, also, according to 
their medical properties, as narcotics, tonics, cathartics, 
&c, and the plants according to the Natural families to 
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