Botanicum medicinale; an herbal of medicinal plants on the College of Physicians list. Describing their Places of Growth, Roots, Bark, Leaves, Buds, Time of Flowering, Blossoms, Flowers, Stiles, Chives, Embrio's, Fruits, Farina, Colours, Seeds, Kernels, Seed-Vessels, Parts used in Medicine, Preparations in the Shops, Medicinal Virtues, Names in Nine Languages. Most beautifully engraved on 120 large folio copper-plates, from the exquisite drawings of the late ingenious T. Sheldrake. English Plants are drawn from Nature to the greatest Accuracy, Flowers, or Parts, too small to be distinguished, are magnified. Nothing in any Language exceeds this Thirty Years laborious Work, of which may truly be said that Nature only equals it, every Thing of the Kind, hitherto attempted, being trivial, compared to this inimitable Performance. Designed to promote Botanical Knowledge, prevent Mistakes in the Use of Simples in compounding and preparing Medicines, to illustrate, and render such Herbals as want the just Representations in their proper Figures and Colours more useful. Necessary to such as practise Physic, Pharmacy, Chemistry, &c. entertaining to the Curious, the Divine and Philosopher, in contemplating these wonderful Productions, - Useful to Painters, Heralds, Carvers, Designers, Gardeners, &c. The Colours of every Part are minutely described; for Utility it must be esteemed preferable to any Hortus Siccus extant. The Means to preserve Fruits, and dry Flowers, in their Native Form and Colour, are not yet discovered; Plants cannot be preserved to Persection. The Flowers, when coloured, are represented in their original Bloom, and Fruits in the inviting Charms of Maturity. To which now is added, his tables for finding the heat and cold in all climates, That Exotic Plants may be raised in Summer, and preserved in Winter.
Sheldrake, Timothy, -1770. | Date: [1759?]