By such a manner of associating these two great authors, we render them truly serviceable to each other, and to the sci ence ; whereas, by placing them in oppo sition, we only make stumbling-blocks of all their defects ; for there must be de fects in all attempts of the human intel lect to keep pace with the infinite wis dom and variety displayed in the works of God.
With respect to the application of ei ther of these methods of arrangement to medical use, as a means of forming any probable judgment of the qualities of plants, the more natural any system is, the better it serves us in this particular. But even the Linnman classes and orders are many of them sufficient for general use, and their learned author has occa sionally suggested other remarks, pecu liar to himself, tending to the same end.
His Didyna.nia Gymnospermia, and the ringent flowers with naked seeds, allied thereto, which, having only two stamens, are necessarily placed in his second class. Diandria are all innocent or wholesome : those of the other order, Angiospermia, are fetid, narcotic, and dangerous, being akin to a large part of Pentandria Mono gynia, known to be poisonous, as contain ing henbane, nightshade, and tobacco. The whole dass Tetradynamia is whole some, except the fetid cleome, wrongly referred to it. Whenever the stamens are found to grow out of the calyx, whe ther they be numerous, as in Icosandria, or few, as in the currant and gooseberry, they infallibly indicate the pulpy fruits of such plants to be wholesome. Whenever the nectary is a distinct organ or struc ture from the petals, Linnaeus justly ob serves, that the plants to which it belongs are to be suspected. The papilionaceous or pea flower is remarked by him to be long to a wholesome family, which is ge nerally true, at least when the plants are boiled or roasted. We think it right, however, to mention one exception to the innocence of this family, as it is not gene rally known. The seeds of the laburnum, eaten unripe, are violently emetic and dangerous. They are, indeed, so bitter and nauseous as seldom to tempt chil dren, but we have heard of their being eaten, and such was the consequence, which is the more important to be known, as the tree is so common.
Milky plants are generally to be sus pected, except such as have compound flowers ; but even some of these are high ly dangerous, as the wild lettuce. Lactu ca virosa, which yields a kind of opium, and the stinking hawkweed, crepes fce tida. Crepis rubra, also, or pink hawk weed, commonly cultivated for its beauty, may be in the same predicament ; but it is too nauseous to be eaten. Umbellife rolls plants, which grow in dry or elevat ed situations, are aromatic, safe, and often • very wholesome ; while those that inhabit low and watery places are usually among the most virulent and deadly of all poi sons. whatever. Oenanthe crocata poi sons by its scent in a room, causing head aches, nausea, and swoonings. Cicuta virosa, if eaten by cattle unawares, while under water, kills them, as Linnzeus in forms us, with the most horrible symp toms. The mallow tribe, or Columnife
rze, so called from bearing their stamens ill a columnar form, are all emollient, abounding with a mucilaginous juice, without taste and smell, very useful in internal irritations. To this, probably, Horace alludes, when he speaks of lives malvx, and sotto any external smoothness of the plants mentioned, which, by their soft and downy leaves, would rather claim the epithet of molles. The liliace ous family are often very dangerous, es pecially their bulbous roots, from some of which the wild natives of southern Africa are said to obtain a poisonfor their darts. The natural order of grasses are, as every one knows, wholesome through out ; for the intoxicating effects recorded of Lolium temulentum can hardly be deemed an exception. The beneficent Author of Nature has usually indicated the wholesome qualities of plants by an agreeable smell or taste, while dangerous ones are endued with contrary flavours. The berries of deadly nightshade, Aropa belladonna, arc indeed an exception to this, but a rare one.
When we speak here of plants as being wholesome or poisonous, it must be un derstood only with a reference to our own species, and those animals which most approach us in shape and constitution, as quadrupeds, and even of these some form an exception. Thus goats prefer and thrive upon the most acrid plants, which blister the stomachs, or even hands, of the human species, as clematis, anemone, ra nunculus, &c. Insects, in general, feed on the most virulent herbs, which no other animals can taste, and thus such are turned to account in the general plan of nature. The art of cookery renders many vegetables wholesome to man, that without it would be far otherwise, as the potatoe, which is a species of nightshade, or Solanum, and many fruits are rendered much more salutary in consequence of being dressed. The cassava bread of the West Indies is made of the highly acrid Jatropha, purified by washing and drying. A number of further observations might be added ; but the above are sufficient to slim the use of botanical science in a me dical point of view. The necessity that those who make use of highly powerful plants for the cure of diseases should know one plant from another is evident. We have known the useless Lythrum sa licaria gathered, and sold to the apothe cary, for fox-glove, and the sweet, inactive chervil for the powerful hemlock ; we have also kno wn henbane taken for Clary. A little science will guard against such mistakes. The "Medical Botany" of the late Dr. Woodville, so extensive in its sale amony country practitioners, has per haps done more to prevent them than most other books ; but the liberal and dignified physician should be able, by more philosophical means, not only to guard against mistakes and mischief, but, by new inquiries and studies, to advance the healing art.