Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants

...they continually heap error upon error. It is with good reason, therefore, that physicians incur our rebuke and the reprimand of many other good men, for they utterly reject, despise, and consider as nothing this care for identifying plants. For who could bear with a calm mind that this study—which we have demonstrated was once most honorable to kings, Greek leaders, and even poets and philosophers—should now be considered ignominious to themselves?

Knowledge of plants is both useful and necessary for physicians.

But if anyone truly considers for themselves how useful and how necessary this knowledge of herbs is for physicians, they will judge such men worthy of the greatest punishment and rebuke. For none of them can rightly heal diseases, nor compound medications, nor use those previously discovered in a fitting and timely manner, unless they possess an exact knowledge of simples In historical medicine, "simples" (simplicia) refer to individual medicinal ingredients, usually plants, as they occur in nature, before being combined into complex "compounds.". Since this is most manifest to all, there is no need to demonstrate it with more words. However, to attain this knowledge, it is not enough to have observed their differences once or twice or even three times—as our Galen also testifies—but one must have inspected them very frequently indeed.

The zeal of ancient physicians regarding the knowledge of simple medicines.

Furthermore, since the ancients—both philosophers and physicians—understood that personal inspection original: "αὐτοψίαν" (autopsian), literally "seeing for oneself." This was a foundational principle for Renaissance scientists like Fuchs, who favored direct observation over relying solely on ancient texts. and one's own examination were necessary to achieve an exquisite knowledge of plants, they did not leave the duty of investigating them to unrefined and unskilled druggists original: "seplasiarijs." The seplasiarii were ointment-sellers or perfumers in antiquity, often used here as a derogatory term for uneducated or profit-driven apothecaries., nor to their equally unskilled assistants, nor to the much more ignorant, foolish, and inept common people. Instead, judging this province to belong rather to themselves, they traveled not just through the tracts of one or two regions, but through a great part of the world. They did this so that they might not only look upon every kind of herb with their own eyes, but also handle and taste them, so that by this method they might learn not just their appearances, but also their powers.

Theophrastus.

Thus indeed Theophrastus Theophrastus (c. 371–287 BCE), a student of Aristotle, is often called the "Father of Botany" for his systematic works on plant life., who left us nine most excellent books on the history of plants, is known to have traveled through many provinces; for otherwise, he could not have passed down the individual differences of plants, which vary according to different regions, with such exquisite reasoning.

Dioscorides.

Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE), a Greek physician and botanist whose "De Materia Medica" remained the standard pharmacological text for over 1,500 years. also, as he himself testifies, led by an incredible desire for knowing herbs, surveyed many places during his military service. From this, he attained such skill in plants that he left behind most absolute books concerning them—as Galen also testifies—which many students of herbal medicine today not only read diligently at home with great profit, but also carry about with them everywhere. I now gladly pass over Crateuas, Dionysius, and Metrodorus, since their writings do not survive, having perished through the injury of time.

Pliny the Elder.

I also omit Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (23–79 CE), the Roman author of the massive "Natural History," who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius., the author of that divine work On the History of the World, whom everyone knows devoted a great deal of effort not only to this study of identifying plants, but also to many other things, and finally met his death while doing so.

Galen.

No one who reads his books with even a little diligence can be ignorant of how many various regions of the earth Galen Claudius Galenus (129–c. 216 CE), the most influential physician of antiquity whose theories dominated Western medicine for centuries. surveyed, so that he might exactly know medicinal matter and aid the lives of mortals. For he sailed to Cyprus for the sake of metals, which are numerous there, and to Syrian Palestine for the sake of bitumen and certain other things. How much study and effort he placed in identifying Lemnian earth A famous medicinal clay from the island of Lemnos, used as an astringent and antidote. alone is known to those who have read the description of his voyage. We have recounted these things at length for no other reason than so that the physicians of our age might learn from this how far they fall short of the diligence of the ancients. The ancients did not hesitate to wander through the thickest woods and groves, and even to climb the ridges of the highest mountains, at the greatest expense to their affairs and even their bodies, so that they might achieve an exact knowledge of plants. Let our physicians, finally convinced by the example of such great men, believe that the study of identifying plants belongs to them. Yet if they are little moved by these examples, let at least shame impel and drive them to undertake this care. For there is no other craftsman who would not consider it most disgraceful to himself if he were judged to be ignorant of the instruments of his art and the material which he handles daily with his hands.

It is ridiculous for physicians to be ignorant of medical matter.

Since, therefore, in the manual arts everyone thinks that a craftsman is to be laughed at if he does not have a sufficient understanding of the material of the art he professes, surely a physician will be worthy of much greater laughter who [does not know] the materials of his art,