On the Secrets of Women and the Virtues of Herbs

This is the handwritten signature of a former owner. Edward Smilie (1812–1867) was an American physician and medical author who practiced in the mid-19th century, notably in Boston.

The date of the inscription, written in a typical 19th-century hand. Below this date, the writer added a calligraphic flourish, a decorative pen stroke common in formal penmanship of the era to signify the completion of a signature.