Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/751

 A N Y. 63* fortia, cerinthe, fymphytum, pulmonaria, borrago, cynoglolfum, anchufa, lithofpermum, myofotis, heliotropium, afperugo, lycopfis, echium. The plants inqluded under the Pentandria, withone ftylus, one flower-leaf, and which bear berries, form the 33d natural order, and are generally poifonous. To this order belong all the folana, or night-fliades ; the mandragora and atropa, which are well known to be poifonous; the hyofeyamus and datura occafion madnefs. and death ; the verbafeum intoxicates and kills fifltes. The Umbellate, which make the 23d natural order, are faid to be aromatic, refolvent, and carminative, efpecially thofe that grow in a dry foil; but fuch of them as grow in a wet foil are faid to be poifqnous. The virtues refide in the roots and .feeds. To this order belong the daucus creticus, gentiana alba, filer montanum, ammi verum, pet-rofdinum macedonicum,  top great a quantity, are highly corrofive; but, as this hurtful quality is owing to a volatile alkaline fubilance in the roots, when they ate roailed or boiled it flies off, and they may be eat with fafety. The fruit of all the plants belonging to the Pcos^ndp.ia clafs, which are enumerated iu the 36th, ‘37th, 38th, and. 39th. aatural ordprs,. are efculent, and not one of them poifonous. To this class belong the eugcnia, punica, cerafus, crategus, pyrus^ rofa, fragaria, be. The. plants belonging to the Polyandria clafs, or the 23d natural order, are moftly poifonous, e.g. thenymphtea, argemone, papaver,.adaea, bocconia, euphorbia, delphinium, Haphifagria,. aconitum, nigella, errhina, aquilegia, hclleborus, be. The leaves of the plants belongingto the Didynamia GYMNasTERMiA, oc 58th natural order, are faid to be cephalic and refolvent. This order contains the ajuga, teucrium, hyfopus, lavendula, mentha, lamium, betonica, ballota, leonurus,. origanum,, thymus, melifla, dracocephalum, be. The plants belonging to.the Tetradynamia clafs, or the 57th natural order, are antifcorbutic, and a little acrid.; e.g. the lepidiura, cochlsaria, raphanus, cardamine,. finapis, eryfimum barbarea, fifymbrium, be. All the plants of. the Monodelphia clafs, which form .the 34th. natural order, are emollient and mucilaginous. Whoever knows the qualities of the althea and malva, knows the qualities of the whole clafs, which comprehends about 180.fpecies. The emollient and mucilaginous virtues are not confined to the.leaves or any parplants preparedhe inwasthein manner ofofa many hortusmore fitcus..plantsThethanoonfequence of this plan fully toanfwered his expectation-:. aacquifition, few years, pofleilion were ever formerly fuppofed grow in Scotland. After thisIn the Dr judicioufly changed the object of his medals, and offered them for the heft accounts of the fenfibli qualities and medical virtues of any number of native plants. But we are forry to find, that no gentlemen have hither* ta become candidates for thefe medals fmee they were oixbred upon this fenfible and ufefuL plan..

B O T gated in a few years far beyond what could have been expected, efpecially when the Hate of the country before that petiod is taken into conuderation. We have no doubt of being able to fnew, that botany, even in its prefent (late, is fo far front lying open to the objections brought againil it by thofe who are either unacquainted with it, or affeCt to defpife it as ufelefs and trifling, that we have little reafon to hope for any extenfive infight into the medical virtues of plants by any other means. In order to bring the numerous tribes of vegetables under certain claffes or denominations, various methods have been adopted by different authors. Some have clafled them by the figure of their roots ; fume by the caulis or flems; fome by the leaves. Linnceus has preferred the parts of fruCHfrcation, becaafe thefe are not only the moH effential, but likewife the moft univerfal. This method of claffing is preferable to any that has been propofed, on many accounts. It is found by experience, that plants which are diltinguiflied by the lame characters in the flower and fruit, have precifely the fame qualities, though not always in an equal degree as to llrength or weaknefs ; fo that, upon infpeClion of the flower and fruit, a botanill can determine a frltri the effects- that will refult from the plant when taken into the ftomach. Here then is a foundation for natural clafles. In drder, therefore, to determine the medical virtues of all the plants belonging, to a natural clal's, the phyfician has nothing further to do than to afcertain, by a fet of clear and unqueftionable experiments, the virtues of any one of them. This greatly fliortens the labour of invelHgation. Suppofing the number of known fpecies tu be 20,000, by ascertaining the virtues of one. genus, at a medium, you determine the virtues of 12 Ipecies. But, by afcertaining the virtues of one genus, belonging to a natural order, the virtues of perhaps 300 or 400 fpecies are afcertained. Again, by afcertaining the virtues of one genus belonging to a natural clafs,. you dif* cover the virtues of perhaps 800 or 10.00 fpecies. As this branch of the materia medica has been hitherto greatly negleCled, we {hall fubjpin a few examples of natural orders and daffes, with the virtues they, are fuppofed to poflefs. The Stellatje of Mr Ray, which, make the. 44th natural, order of Linnseus, are faid to be all.diuretics. Of thefe, the rubia and afperula are remarkable for their diuretic and detergent qualities, and as fuch are admitted into both the Edinburgh and London difpenfatories. The aparine, gallium., <bc. poflefs the fame qualities, though not perhaps in an equal degree. The AspERifOLiiE of Ray, belong, to the pentandria monogynia clafs, with one petal and four feeds, of Linnasus, end form his 43d natural order. The plants of tlris order are faid to be aftringent and v-dneraryv Under it the following genera are comprehended : Tourne.-