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  • Regent's Park, London: a charity fair for the Royal dispensary for diseases of the ear. Coloured lithograph by M. Gauci, 1832.
  • The laryngoscope : directions for its use, and practical illustrations of its value in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the throat and nose two lectures delivered at the Royal College of Physicians / by George Johnson.
  • Bronch-Inhaler : for use in the home : unsurpassed for fine nebula and vaporisation, efficacious in all diseases of the respiratory organs- asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, whooping cough, croup, cold in the ear, and influenza / obtainable only from The Garnett-Pickles Co. Limited, Cromwell House, London W.C.1.
  • Rosmarinus officinalis L. Lamiaceae Rosemary. Woody perennial. Distribution: Mediterranean. Quincy (1718) commended the flowers for epilepsy, apoplexy, palsies, uterine obstruction, jaundice, gout, and syringed into the ear with warm water for dislodging wax. It is licensed for use in Traditional Herbal Medicines in the UK (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Rhodiola rosea L. Crassulaceae Golden root, roseroot Distribution: Arctic, Eastern North America, mountains of central Asia. Herbalists regard it as having curative properties for diseases as diverse as cancer, influenza, depression and other conditions. It has not been licensed for use in manufactured herbal medicines in the UK. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Every man his own farrier : Mr. Blaine who has long been known for his important discoveries, his public writings and successful treatment of the diseases of horses and dogs, now offers to the public the following valuable medicines ... sold wholesale and retail by T. Boosey, no.4, Broad Street, near the Royal exchange.
  • Every man his own farrier : Mr. Blaine who has long been known for his important discoveries, his public writings and successful treatment of the diseases of horses and dogs, now offers to the public the following valuable medicines ... sold wholesale and retail by T. Boosey, no.4, Broad Street, near the Royal exchange.
  • Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. Ranunculaceae Distribution: Europe. Lindley (1838) and Woodville (1790) knew this as Anemone pulsatilla, the common name being Pasque (Easter) Flower. At the end of the 18th century it was recommended for blindness, cataracts, syphilis, strokes and much more, treatments which, as was clear to physicians at the time, were valueless. Gerard (1633) writes: ‘They serve only for the adorning of gardens and garlands, being floures of great beauty’. It is in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, all members of which are poisonous. It was recommended, by mouth, for ‘obstinate case of taenia’ (tapeworms). One hopes it was more toxic to the worm than the patient. Flowers with a central disc and radiating florets were regarded as being good for eye complaints under the Doctrine of Signatures. Porta (1588) writes (translated): ‘Argemone [Papaver argemone], and anemone, have flowers of this shape, from this they cure ulcers and cloudiness of the cornea’. There were occupational diseases even before there were words like pneumoconiosis, and Lindley writes that ‘the powder of the root causes itching of the eyes, colic and vomiting, if in pulverising it the operator do not avoid the fine dust which is driven up.’ Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. Ranunculaceae. Pasque flower. Distribution: Europe. Lindley (1838) and Woodville (1790) knew this as Anemone pulsatilla, the common name being Pasque (Easter) Flower. At the end of the 18th century it was recommended for blindness, cataracts, syphilis, strokes and much more, treatments which, as was clear to physicians at the time, were valueless. Gerard (1633) writes: ‘They serve only for the adorning of gardens and garlands, being floures of great beauty’. It is in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, all members of which are poisonous. It was recommended, by mouth, for ‘obstinate case of taenia’ (tapeworms). One hopes it was more toxic to the worm than the patient. Flowers with a central disc and radiating florets were regarded as being good for eye complaints under the Doctrine of Signatures. Porta (1588) writes (translated): ‘Argemone [Papaver argemone], and anemone, have flowers of this shape, from this they cure ulcers and cloudiness of the cornea’. There were occupational diseases even before there were words like pneumoconiosis, and Lindley writes that ‘the powder of the root causes itching of the eyes, colic and vomiting, if in pulverising it the operator do not avoid the fine dust which is driven up.’ Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. Ranunculaceae Pasque flower. Distribution: Europe. Lindley (1838) and Woodville (1790) knew this as Anemone pulsatilla, the common name being Pasque (Easter) Flower. At the end of the 18th century it was recommended for blindness, cataracts, syphilis, strokes and much more, treatments which, as was clear to physicians at the time, were valueless. Gerard (1633) writes: ‘They serve only for the adorning of gardens and garlands, being floures of great beauty’. It is in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, all members of which are poisonous. It was recommended, by mouth, for ‘obstinate case of taenia’ (tapeworms). One hopes it was more toxic to the worm than the patient. Flowers with a central disc and radiating florets were regarded as being good for eye complaints under the Doctrine of Signatures. Porta (1588) writes (translated): ‘Argemone [Papaver argemone], and anemone, have flowers of this shape, from this they cure ulcers and cloudiness of the cornea’. There were occupational diseases even before there were words like pneumoconiosis, and Lindley writes that ‘the powder of the root causes itching of the eyes, colic and vomiting, if in pulverising it the operator do not avoid the fine dust which is driven up.’ Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Asphodeline lutea Rchb. Yellow asphodel, King's spear, Hastula regia. Hardy rhizomatous perennial. Distribution Mediterranean and Caucasus. It is the flower of the dead, as Homer writes that it carpets an area in the gloomy darkness of the underworld (Hades), in Greek mythology where the souls of the dead are found. However this may be a misinterpretation of the Greek where 'Asphodel' has been read instead of 'ash-filled'. In the etymology of flower names, it is suggested that the yellow 'daffodil' is a corruption of French or Flemish 'de asphodel' (both ex Steve Reece, 2007). An Aristotelian epigram, refers to it growing on tombs: 'On my back I hold mallow and many-rooted asphodel ...' The asphodel was sacred to Persephone, goddess of the underworld, who was seized and wed by Hades, god of the underworld, and taken to his kingdom. Her disappearance brings the winter, and her reappearance each year, the spring. The only reliable source of information about its early medical uses is, probably, Dioscorides although the plant in his De Materia Medica may be A. ramosus or A. albus. He gives its properties as diuretic, induces menses, good for coughs and convulsions, an antidote to snake bite, applied as a poultice for sores of all sorts, and in compounds for eye, ear and tooth pains, and to cure alopecia and vitiligo, but induces diarrhoea and vomiting and is an anti-aphrodisiac. Fuchs (1542), as Ruel’s commentaries (1543) note, makes a big mistake as he has Lilium martagon as his concept of A. luteus. Ruel only illustrates its leaves and roots, calling it Hastula regia (Latin for King’s spear) but Matthiolus's Commentaries (1569 edition) has a reasonable woodcut also as Hastula regia (1569). Dodoen's Cruydeboeck (1556) does not mention or illustrate Asphodelus luteus. L'Escluse's French translation Histoire des Plantes (1557) follows the Cruydeboeck. Dodoen's Latin translation Stirpium Historia Pemptades Sex (1583) adds A. luteus with text and woodcut, with no uses. Henry Lyte's (1578) translation illustrates Asphodelus luteus as Asphodeli tertia species and 'Yellow affodyl' (vide etymology of 'daffodil') and also does not describe any uses for it. Gerard's translation The Herbal (1597 and 1633) continues the muddle and does not give any uses for this plant. Parkinson's comments (1640) on the lack of medicinal properties of asphodels, refer to quite different plants coming from wet areas in Lancashire, Scotland and Norway . He calls them pseudoasphodelus major and minor which he writes are called Asphodelus luteus palustris by Dodoens, and not 'King's Spear' which he illustrates with a good woodcut of A. luteus and calls it Asphodelus luteus minor. Once herbals started to be written in northern Europe, the knowledge of the arid loving, Asphodelus luteus of south east Europe was lost. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Conference : recent developments in prevention and therapy through Maharishi ayur-veda towards a disease-free society : new approaches to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, chronic disorders, cancer, AIDS : Royal College of Physicians, London, Monday 17 October 1988 / World Medical Association for Perfect Health - Great Britain.
  • Conference : recent developments in prevention and therapy through Maharishi ayur-veda towards a disease-free society : new approaches to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, chronic disorders, cancer, AIDS : Royal College of Physicians, London, Monday 17 October 1988 / World Medical Association for Perfect Health - Great Britain.
  • Conference : recent developments in prevention and therapy through Maharishi ayur-veda towards a disease-free society : new approaches to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, chronic disorders, cancer, AIDS : Royal College of Physicians, London, Monday 17 October 1988 / World Medical Association for Perfect Health - Great Britain.
  • Conference : recent developments in prevention and therapy through Maharishi ayur-veda towards a disease-free society : new approaches to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, chronic disorders, cancer, AIDS : Royal College of Physicians, London, Monday 17 October 1988 / World Medical Association for Perfect Health - Great Britain.
  • Conference : recent developments in prevention and therapy through Maharishi ayur-veda towards a disease-free society : new approaches to the prevention and treatment of heart disease, chronic disorders, cancer, AIDS : Royal College of Physicians, London, Monday 17 October 1988 / World Medical Association for Perfect Health - Great Britain.
  • Bergenia ciliata (Haw.)Sternb. Saxifraginaceae. Elephant's ears. Named for Karl August von Bergen (1704-1759), physician and botanist, professor at Viadrina University, Frankfurt. Has hairy leaves, hence ciliata. Distribution: E. Afghanistan, Himalayas, Assam. Used for fevers, diarrhoea, bruises and boils, coughs, renal stones, diabetes, heart disease, haemorrhoids, stomach disorders (Harish et al www.ijabpt.com). It was described in the 1820s so there is no early literature. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Gloriosa superba L. Colchicaceae Gloriosa lily. Gloriosa rothschildiana is now a synonym. Climbing plant. Distribution: Southern Africa to Asia. National flower of Zimbabwe, state flower of Tamil Nadu. Contains colchicine which is poisonous, teratogenic and used for treating gout, Familial Mediterranean fever and Behcet's disease. Its toxicity limits its use as a anti-cancer agent. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Gloriosa superba L. Colchicaceae Gloriosa lily. Gloriosa rothschildiana is now a synonym. Climbing plant. Distribution: Southern Africa to Asia. National flower of Zimbabwe, state flower of Tamil Nadu. Contains colchicine which is poisonous, teratogenic and used for treating gout, Familial Mediterranean fever and Behcet's disease. Its toxicity limits its use as a anti-cancer agent. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Polemonium caeruleum L. Polemoniaceae Jacob's ladder, Greek Valerian. Hardy perennial. Distribution: Temperate Europe. Dioscorides in 70 AD (Beck, 2005), and Lyte (1578) recommended it drunk in wine, for malignant ulcers, dysentery, difficulty in micturition, hip disease. The root was worn round the neck to protect against scorpions, and stopped toothache if chewed. Called Valerian Graeca by Dodoens (1551) and Parkinson (1640), Valeriana peregrina Belgarum by Lobel (1576). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Tragopogon pratensis L. Asteraceae. Goatsbeard, Salsify, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon. Distribution: Europe and North America. This is the Tragopogion luteum or Yellow Goats-beard of Gerard (1633) who recommended them boiled until tender and then buttered as being more delicious than carrots and parsnips and very nutritious for those sick from a long lingering disease. Boiled in wine they were a cure for a 'stitch' in the side. In the USA children collect the milky sap onto a piece of glass and, when dry, chew it as bubble-gum. The name 'Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon' referes to the flowers which close at noon and the spherical radiation of seed plumules which then appear. Salsify is now applied as a name for T. porrifolius and Scorzonera hispanica. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Tragopogon pratensis L. Asteraceae Goats beard, Salsify, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon. Distribution: Europe and North America. This is the Tragopogion luteum or Yellow Goats-beard of Gerard (1633) who recommended them boiled until tender and then buttered as being more delicious than carrots and parsnips and very nutritious for those sick from a long lingering disease. Boiled in wine they were a cure for a 'stitch' in the side. In the USA children collect the milky sap onto a piece of glass and, when dry, chew it as bubble-gum. The name 'Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon' referes to the flowers which close at noon and the spherical radiation of seed plumules which then appear. Salsify is now applied as a name for T. porrifolius and Scorzonera hispanica. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Tragopogon pratensis L. Asteraceae. Goatsbeard, Salsify, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon. Distribution: Europe and North America. This is the Tragopogion luteum or Yellow Goats-beard of Gerard (1633) who recommended them boiled until tender and then buttered as being more delicious than carrots and parsnips and very nutritious for those sick from a long lingering disease. Boiled in wine they were a cure for a 'stitch' in the side. In the USA children collect the milky sap onto a piece of glass and, when dry, chew it as bubble-gum. The name 'Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon' referes to the flowers which close at noon and the spherical radiation of seed plumules which then appear. Salsify is now applied as a name for T. porrifolius and Scorzonera hispanica. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench Asteraceae. Coneflower. Distribution: North America. Austin (2004) records that the roots were chewed, or used as a tincture for coughs by the Choctaw. It was combined with Rhus typhina to treat venereal disease by the Delaware. Very little record of this being used by Native Americans, who used E. angustifolia very widely - Regarded as a panacea and magical herb. This and E. pallida were used to treat snakebite, spider bite, cancer, toothache, burns, sores, wounds, flu and colds. E. purpurea in modern times has been used as an ‘immunostimulant’, but is known to cause a fall in white cell count, and to be purely a placebo. Licensed for use as a Traditional Herbal Medicine, which does not require proof of efficacy, in the UK. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench Asteraceae. Coneflower. Distribution: North America. Austin (2004) records that the roots were chewed, or used as a tincture for coughs by the Choctaw. Combined with Rhus typhina to treat venereal disease by the Delaware. Very little record of this being used by Native Americans, who used E. angustifolia very widely - Regarded as a panacea and magical herb. This and E. pallida were used to treat snakebite, spider bite, cancer, toothache, burns, sores, wounds, flu and colds. E. purpurea in modern times has been used as an ‘immunostimulant’, but is known to cause a fall in white cell count, and to be purely a placebo. Licensed for use as a Traditional Herbal Medicine, which does not require proof of efficacy, in the UK. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench Asteraceae. Coneflower. Distribution: North America. Austin (2004) records that the roots were chewed, or used as a tincture for coughs by the Choctaw. It was combined with Rhus typhina to treat venereal disease by the Delaware. Very little record of this being used by Native Americans, who used E. angustifolia very widely - Regarded as a panacea and magical herb. This and E. pallida were used to treat snakebite, spider bite, cancer, toothache, burns, sores, wounds, flu and colds. E. purpurea in modern times has been used as an ‘immunostimulant’, but is known to cause a fall in white cell count, and to be purely a placebo. Licensed for use as a Traditional Herbal Medicine, which does not require proof of efficacy, in the UK. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench Asteraceae. Coneflower. Distribution: North America. Austin (2004) records that the roots were chewed, or used as a tincture for coughs by the Choctaw. It was combined with Rhus typhina to treat venereal disease by the Delaware. Very little record of this being used by Native Americans, who used E. angustifolia very widely - Regarded as a panacea and magical herb. This and E. pallida were used to treat snakebite, spider bite, cancer, toothache, burns, sores, wounds, flu and colds. E. purpurea in modern times has been used as an ‘immunostimulant’, but is known to cause a fall in white cell count, and to be purely a placebo. Licensed for use as a Traditional Herbal Medicine, which does not require proof of efficacy, in the UK. Licensed as a Traditional Herbal Remedy in the UK (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Paris quadrifolia L. Trilliaceae Herb Paris Distribution: Europe and temperate Asia. This dramatic plant was known as Herb Paris or one-berry. Because of the shape of the four leaves, resembling a Burgundian cross or a true love-knot, it was also known as Herb True Love. Prosaically, the name ‘Paris’ stems from the Latin ‘pars’ meaning ‘parts’ referring to the four equal leaves, and not to the French capital or the lover of Helen of Troy. Sixteenth century herbalists such as Fuchs, who calls it Aconitum pardalianches which means leopard’s bane, and Lobel who calls it Solanum tetraphyllum, attributed the poisonous properties of Aconitum to it. The latter, called monkshood and wolfsbane, are well known as poisonous garden plants. Gerard (1633), however, reports that Lobel fed it to animals and it did them no harm, and caused the recovery of a dog poisoned deliberately with arsenic and mercury, while another dog, which did not receive Herb Paris, died. It was recommended thereafter as an antidote to poisons. Coles (1657) wrote 'Herb Paris is exceedingly cold, wherupon it is proved to represse the rage and force of any Poyson, Humour , or Inflammation.' Because of its 'cold' property it was good for swellings of 'the Privy parts' (where presumably hot passions were thought to lie), to heal ulcers, cure poisoning, plague, procure sleep (the berries) and cure colic. Through the concept of the Doctrine of Signatures, the black berry represented an eye, so oil distilled from it was known as Anima oculorum, the soul of the eye, and 'effectual for all the disease of the eye'. Linnaeus (1782) listed it as treating 'Convulsions, Mania, Bubones, Pleurisy, Opththalmia', but modern authors report the berry to be toxic. That one poison acted as an antidote to another was a common, if incorrect, belief in the days of herbal medicine. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Cistus incanus ssp creticus Juss. Cistaceae. Rock Rose. Distribution: Crete. Interesting symbiosis with fungus called Tuber melanosporum which increases nutrient absorption for the plant and inhibits growth of other plants in the vicinity. It is a source of the resin ‘labdanum’ (a.k.a. ‘ladanum’) used in perfumes (similar smell to ambergris), as is Cistus ladanifer. It has no medical uses now, and such use was dwindling even in the 18th century. In the 16th century (Henry Lyte’s 1575 translation of Rembert Dodoen’s Cruydeboeck of 1554) its uses were described (directly copied from Dioscorides’ Materia Medica (70AD)) as: ‘Ladanum dronketh with olde wine, stoppeth the laske [periods], and provoketh urine. It is very good against the hardness of the matrix or mother [uterus] layde to in the manner of a pessarie, and it draweth down the secondes or afterbirth, when it is layde upon quicke coles [hot coals], and the fumigation or parfume thereof be received up into the body of women. // The same applied to the head with Myrrhe and oyle of Myrrhe, cureth the scurffe, called Alopecia, and keepeth the heare [hair] from falling of [sic], but whereas it is already fallen away, it will not cause the heare to growe agayne. // ...' and goes on in this vein about its uses for pain in the ears, and removing sores and scars and other things. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Practical observations on diseases of women / by William Jones.