92, THE NEW ZEALAND FAMILY HERB DOCTOR. 
of the times. Many are running to and fro, and knowledge 
is being increased on the earth. May the progress continue 
till the great Physician comes, who will abolish suffering and 
death, and give life and immortality to all that love and obey 
Him, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
MEDICAL BOTANY. 
‘He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and the herbs for the 
service of man.’’—Psalm ciy. 14. 
It seems strange that anyone should need to be informed that 
Herbal Medicine is, as Sir John Hill, M.D., affirms, ‘the 
true medicine of nature.”” An observer of the animals can see 
how their instinct leads them, when not in perfect health, to the 
herbs for relief. This fact has given names to certain plants, 
for example, Dog Grass, Swine’s Grass, Catnip, Bird Pepper, 
Goose Grass, &c., &c. The time is past when men of the 
regular school ridiculed the idea of there being any virtue in 
the herbs of the field unless they had been named and appro- 
priated bythefaculty. Conversing withan M.D. of theoldschool 
some timeago, headmitted that they gotthe best of theirmedicine 
from the vegetable kingdom. It is surprising to see the 
number of new remedies that are being noticed in the 
medical journals, and almost all from the same rational source. 
The reason why this is so can be accounted for by the fact 
that men are turning their attention to the true source of 
supply, as indicated in the portion of Scripture quoted above. 
Also that the chief objections to herbal medicine are 
nearly overcome by the improved methods of preparation. At 
the beginning of our present century doctors were dreaded for 
their cruel tactics, principally bleeding and blistering; also 
