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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 deg?fee 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 advantage
in respect to the mode of treating his patient, over
one who is ignorant of the cause, and must therefore prescribe
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 medical
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 furnished
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; thia
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 carnivorous
animal. But vegetables are never entirely disused
by him ; hence a knowledge of them is of universal use,
nid'e 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 considered
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 desiring
their conductors to gather some, they were informed
that it was a poisonous berry : this naturally enough produced
some hesitation, lest they might be deceived by a
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