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  • Camellia sasanqua Thunb. Theaceae. Christmas camellia. Camellia commemorates Georg Josef Kamel (1661-1706), Jesuit pharmacist from Moravia (Czech Republic) who worked in the Philippines and sent plants to John Ray in England (Oakeley, 2012) Evergreen shrub. Distribution: Japan and China. Leaves are used in Japan to make tea (normally made from C. sinensis) and the seeds to make the edible tea seed oil. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Lobelia tupa L Campanulaceae Tabaco del Diablo [Devil's tobacco]. Distribution: Central Chile. Dried leaves are smoked as a hallucinogen by the Mapuchu Indians of Chile. It was also used as a respiratory stimulant. The genus was named after Matthias de L’Obel or Lobel, (1538–1616), Flemish botanist and physician to James I of England, author of the great herbal Plantarum seu Stirpium Historia (1576). Lobeline, a chemical from the plant has nicotine like actions and for a while lobeline was used to help people withdraw from smoking, but was found to be ineffective. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • We, the court of examiners, chosen and appointed by the master, wardens and assistants of the Society of the Art and Mystery of Apothecaries of the City of London in pursuance of a certain Act of Parliament passed in the 55th year of the reign of his majesty King George the third entitled an Act for the better regulating the practice of apothecaries throughout England and Wales, do hereby by virtue of the power & authority invested by the said Act certify that ... has been by us carefully and deliberately examined as to his skills & abilities in the science & practice of medicine ... duly qualified as an apothecary.
  • Myrtus communis L. Myrtaceae Myrtle Distribution: Europe. Dioscorides (Beck, 2005) recommends the fruit for treating haemoptysis (‘spitting blood’) and cystitis, and, if boiled, he said it made a fine wine. In various forms it was used as a hair dye, for sore eyes, anal and uterine prolapse, dandruff and shingles, all sorts of inflammations, scorpion bites and even sweaty armpits. Our plant has white berries, but he regarded those with black berries (they become black later in the season) as being more effective. Lyte (1576) adds that the juice of the berries kept the hair black and stopped it falling out, and prevented intoxication. He notes that it only flowered in hot summers in England, but it is reliable in flower now, either due to global warming or selection of suitable clones. According to Lyte, it is named after Merlyne, a fair maiden of Athens in ancient Greece, who judged the athletic games. Slain by a disgruntled competitor, the goddess Minerva brought her back as the myrtle tree in perpetual memory. The myrtle tree is also an ancient Jewish symbol for peace and justice. Myrtle wine is still made in Tuscany and now even in China. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Capsicum annuum 'Masquerade' Distribution: Central and South America. This ‘domesticated species’ originated from Mexico (although the centre of Capsicum evolution was much earlier and from Bolivia) and includes the bland salad peppers and the hot chilli peppers, of which capsaicin (sometimes called capsicain), from the lining of the inside of the chilli, is the main active ingredient. Chilli comes from the Aztec language of the Nahuatl people. It was reputedly introduced to Europe by Columbus in the mid-15th century, but was cultivated in Mexico since 4,000 BCE and used in cooking since 7,200 BCE. After its introduction to Europe, its cultivation very rapidly became world-wide. It appears first as a description (Bock, 1539) with the name teutschem Pfeffer. The first illustration, as Siliquastrum, appears in Historia Stirpes commentarii insignis (Fuchs, 1542). Fuchs did not realise it came from the Americas, as he identified it as a plant described by Pliny, Dioscorides and Avicenna and gave their uses of it. It appear in Dodoen's Cruydeboeck (1551) and Lyte's translation (1557) with the note that it is 'hot and drie in the third degree.' He recommended it for dressing meat, and noted that it 'warmeth the stomach' and was good for a sore throat, scrofula, and topically got rid of spots. Fuch's had reported these properties as being described by Avicenna, but what that plant was is unknown. Lindley (1838) wrote: 'It is employed in medicine, in combination with Cinchona in intermittent and lethargic affections, and also in atonic gout, dyspepsia accompanied by flatulence, tympanitis, paralysis etc. Its most valuable application appears however to be in cynanche maligna [=severe sore throat, with impending suffocation] and scarlatina maligna [=severe scarlet fever], used either as a gargle or administered internally.' However, its principal use medically has been in pain relief, applied locally for pain from muscle injury to post herpetic neuralgia. Capsaicin acts on the pain and heat sensing neurones to make them trigger the sensation of pain at body temperature. Repeated exposure to capsaicin depletes the neurotransmitter substance P that is used to perceive pain, so the relevant nerves no longer transmit the sensation of pain/heat from any cause. It is a banned substance in the equestrian events at the Olympics because of its ability to stop perception of pain. Capsaicin has been shown, experimentally, to kill cancer cells by attacking their mitochondria. Particular interest has concentrated on its ability to reduce the size of tumours of the pancreas and prostate. Various cultivars are used in cooking, and the strength (i.e. how hot they are) is measured in Scoville units. A standard chilli pepper used in England would be around 5,000 Scovilles, the hottest peppers are rated over one million Scoville units. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Now exhibiting for a short time only! The Mammoth Lady from the Cosmorama Rooms, Regent Street ... : Mrs. Elizabeth Armitage, of the extraordinary weight of 31 stone 11 lbs. or 445 pounds! Weighed at Soulier and Ward's, no.4, Burlington Arcade, where the weight is registered / Strand Theatre.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Landmark : a centre for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • The Junction : Bromley Positive Support Group : Anerley SE20, charity no: 1051634.
  • The Junction : Bromley Positive Support Group : Anerley SE20, charity no: 1051634.
  • The Junction : Bromley Positive Support Group : Anerley SE20, charity no: 1051634.
  • The Junction : Bromley Positive Support Group : Anerley SE20, charity no: 1051634.
  • Geranium Day Tuesday May 11th, 1926 / Greater London Fund for the Blind conducted by the National Institute for the Blind.
  • The carnival of lost emotions / The Centre for the History of the Emotions.
  • Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue / Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851 ; by authority of the Royal Commission.
  • Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue / Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851 ; by authority of the Royal Commission.
  • Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue / Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851 ; by authority of the Royal Commission.
  • Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue / Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851 ; by authority of the Royal Commission.
  • A girl closely followed by a young man rushes towards an old lady sitting on a stool outside a cottage. Stipple engraving.
  • Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. Stipple engraving by D. J. Pound, 1858, after J. Mayall.
  • Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. Stipple engraving by D. J. Pound, 1858, after J. Mayall.
  • A young couple stand under a tree: she holds a sheaf of corn in one hand, the young man clasps her other hand. Stipple engraving by P.W. Tomkins after W. Lanranson (?).
  • Albert Richard Smith. Stipple engraving by D. J. Pound, 1852, after J. Mayall.
  • A contrast between the housing conditions of the Irish rural poor and those of the middle-class urban population, envisaged as the result of Home Rule for Ireland. Colour lithograph by Tom Merry, 17 October 1891.
  • Famous chemists, gathered around a table. Lithograph by Shapper after J.E. Mayall, 1850.
  • John Worley, a Greenwich Pensioner, aged 85. Mezzotint by J. Faber after himself, 1709.