Page:An Essay on the Antiquity of Hindoo Medicine.djvu/19

 to this purpose, is that called the Natural method, which, enabling us to discuss questions concerning the structure of its several groups, in conjunction with climate, geographical distribution, medical and physical properties, makes modern botany a highly interesting and philosophical study. The artificial system of Linnaeus, usually taught in this country, is ill adapted for our purpose, and for the present state of science. But I am very far from wishing, by such an observation, to reflect in any manner upon the character or merits of Linneeus, one of the greatest naturalists that ever lived ; than whom no one has more strongly expressed the necessity of establishing a more philosophical arrangement, which he considered the ultimate object of study; and who did Natural History the highest services by the invention of methods of arrangement, which prevented its being overwhelmed by the very magnitude of the exertions made in its service. But it is necessary to place the natural classification in a proper point of view, since even one of our principal botanists seemed to think the natural subor- dinate to the artificial method of classification. In criti- cising a work of Mr. Robert Brown, who is acknowledged by all Europe as the first Botanist of his day, Sir James Smith says, " He himself will surely not reckon it complete, without a Linnaean Index, ' to give the precious metal sterling worth :' we have done this, Gentlemen, without the Index, by returning, if I may be allowed the expression, from a paper to a golden currency."

The connexion between the medical properties of plants and their structure, was a subject which attracted the attention of botanists at an early period. Thus Cassalpinus, in 1583, in the Preface to his work, " De Plantis," says, " Quae enim generis societate junguntur, plerumque et similes possident facilitates ; n while Camerarius, in 1699, wrote a dissertation, entitled " De Convenientia Plantarum