104

IT

SIBBALD.

T was late before natural history arofe in Scotland. The ftory of a king Jofina, who is chronicled to have lived more than 150 years before the Chriftian æra, having written a book De Viribus Herbarum, is not worth a comment. Fingal is faid to have been well acquainted with the virtues of herbs and Temora healed the wounds of his countrymen, by his kill in vulnerary vegetables.

Allen Ogilby, who flourished about 1471, a native of Scotland, after having travelled through the east, and refided fome time at Conftantinople, fixed at Venice. Befides his eminent acquaintance with the oriental languages, he is celebrated for his knowledge of natural history. He left a book De Balneis, and fix books De Virtutibus Herbarum.

Of Dr James Cargill, of Aberdeen, I can produce no material anecdotes, although he merits particular remembrance; fince it is manifeft, from the nature of his communications to his friends, both on the continent, and at home, that he muft have been extremely well acquainted with the botany of the age. There is fafficient evidence that he had ftudied botany and anatomy at Bafil, during the time that Cafpar Bauhine held the profefforfhip in thofe fciences, for whom a chair was first erected in that city, in 1589. This celebrated profeffor enumerates Dr Cargill among those who tranfmitted feeds and fpecimens to him. Gefner records the fame fervices on his part. At home, Lobel, in his "Adverfaria," acknowledges the l ke communications, and repeatedly fpeaks of him in very refpectable terms, as a philofopher, and as well fkilled in the fciences of

botany and anatomy. He appears to have been living in the year 1603; at which time he fent to Cafpar Bauhine fpecimens of the Fucus digitatus, with the defcription, which is feen in the " Prodromus" of that author. I know not of any publication from Dr Cargill, neither am I acquainted with any fuccessful efforts in the way of natural hiftory, before the time of the Balfours.

The founding of the Botanical Garden and the museum at Edinburgh, by Sir Andrew Balfour, may be confidered as the introduction of natural hiftory into Scotland. Sir Robert Sibbald, the friend and colleague of Sir Andrew Balfour, and who himfelf added to the ftores of the mufeum, has written "Memoria Balfouriana," purpofely to commemorate the liberal benefactions and encouragements given to literature, by Sir Jacob and Sir Andrew Balfour.

The Garden was established about the year 1680; and in 1683 was fɔ fuccefsfully cultivated by James Sutherland, the intendant, that it is said to have contained 3000 fpecies of plants, difpofed according to Morriion's method. An account of it was publifhed under the title of "Hortus Medicus Edinburgerfis; or, a Catalogue of the Plants in the Phyfic Garden at Edinburgh, containing their moft proper Latin and English names." By James Sutherland. 8vo. pp. 357. Varieties, however, occupy a large fhare of this Catalogue, and. very few of the native plants of Scotland are found in it. It was to Sir Robert Sibbald that the first attempts towards indigenous botany were ow ing.

Robert Sibbald was a fellow of the College of Phyficians at Edinburgh,

and

and the first medical profeffor inftituted in that univerfity, about the year 1685. He was knighted by Charles II. and had alfo the title of King's Phyfician and Geographer Royal conferred upon him, and was a man of very confiderable and various learning. To the knowledge of his profeffion, he added that of natural history, and antiquities. He was, if not the firft, among the earlieft, who wrote on the antiquities of his country, on which he published feveral learned works, to illuftrate, more efpecially, the hiftory of Scotland during the time of the Romans.

He published," Scotia Illuftrata; five, Prodromus Hiftoria Naturalis Scotia: in quo regionis natura, incolarum ingenia et mores, morbi iifque medendi methodus, et medicina indigena explicantur, et multiplices naturæ partus, in triplici ejus regna, vegetabili cilicet, animali, et minerali explicantur? 1684, folio; and 1696, folio.

In this volume, which, he tells us, was the work of twenty years, one part is appropriated to the indigenous plants of Scotland; it contains obfervations on the medicinal and economical ufes. A few rare fpecies make their first appearance in this book, particularly that which Linnæus named Sibbaldia, after the author; and the Ligufticum Scoticum.

Dr Sibbald having thrown out fome ftrictures on the mathematical principles of phyfic, for which the learned

Dr Pitcairn was a ftrenuous advo

cate, the latter wrote a fevere fatire on this work, under the title "De Legibus Hiftoria Naturali.." Edin. 1696. But it contains nothing folid, and was thought by fome to have 'been the re ult of party, if not perfonal diflike.

This

tation on the Chara of Cafar, men“ tioned alfo by Dio, on which the foldiers of Valerius's army fubfifted, under a penury of bread. root has been by fome fuppofed to be the Karemile, Carmele, or, as Mr Lightfoot calls it, the Corr, or, Cormeille, of the Highlanders. It is the Orobus tuber:fus Linnai, our Wood Pease.

In his "Hiftory of the Sheriffdom of Fife and Kinross," printed the fame year, in a catalogue of plants, chiefly maritime, growing about the Frith of Forth; among which, he had given to one the name of Balforiana, now called Pulmonaria maritima.

46

In the zoological way, Dr Sibbald published feparately, Phalainologia nova: 1692. 4to. or, "Obfervations on fome Animals of the Whale Ge

Dus, lately thrown on the fhores of Scotland." This tract had merit efo lately as in the year 1773. He nough to entitle it to a republication, the hiftory of the other marine animeditated a Catologia, together with mals of Scotland, in his fecond volume of the "Prodromus."

In the year 1706, he communica ted to the Royal Society an accurate defcription, accompanied with a figure

of the animal, and its fhell, named Balanus Balena, or Pediculus Ceti of Boccone (Lepas Diadema of Linnæus, Syft. 1108.) Thefe were publifhed in vol. XXV. of the Philofophical Tranfactions, p: 2314.

Although Sir Robert Sibbald did not carry his refearches fo far, as to rank high in the character of the naturalift; yet, as having led the way in that branch, and fingularly promoted the ftudy of the antiquities of his country, he is justly entitled to that honourable station he bears among the writers of North Britain *.

0

WALLACE.

fidered

WALLACE.

In the year 1700, was published, "An Account of the Iflands of Orkney," by James Wallace, M. D. F. R. S. which contains a catalogue of fome of the indigenous plants of that northern region. Flora is not exuberant in her gifts in the chilling regions of the north. I have not feen this book; but I read, that the arborefcent, and fome other tribes, particularly the malvaceous, are sparingly feen in these islands.

PRESTON.

I know not whether there was any fuperintendant to the garden of Edinburgh, between Sutherland, and George Preston, whom Blair ftiles an indefatigable botanist, and who published, about the year 1710, the following catalogue, written in Latin and English: "Catalogus omnium Plantarum quas in Seminario Medicime dicto tranftulit Georgius Preftomus, Bat. Prof. et Hort. Edinburg. Prafectus ex Autoritate ejus." 12mo. Not having feen this volume, I can give no account of it. A writer of the fame name occurs, though I know not whether the fame perfon, as a correfpondent of Mr Ray. See his Letters, p. 308-316; "Some Obfervations on Mr Ray's Synopfis," by Dr Preston, tending to illuftrate the characters of about fifteen fpecies of English plants; with fome Strictures on Tournefort's method of claffification.

In the year 1716, Mr Charles Alfton fucceeded Prefton as fuperintendant of the garden.

ALSTON.

Charles Alfton, as we are informed by Dr Hope, was the fon of Mr Alfton of Eddlewood; a gentleman of small eftate in the west of Scot

land, and allied to the noble family of Hamilton, who, after having ftudied phyfic, and travelled with feveral gentlemen, declined the practice of his profeffion, and retired to his patrimony. His fon Charles was born in the year 1683; and, at the time of his father's death, was at Glasgow, applying with great affiduity to his ftudies. On this event, the Duchefs of Hamilton took him under her patronage, and wished him to have chofen the department of the law; but his inclination for botany, and the ftudy of phyfic, fuperfeded all other fchemes; and, from the year 1716, he entirely devoted himfelf to phyfic.

At the age of thirty-three, he went over to Leyden, to ftudy under Boerhaave, where he remained near three years. At that place, he contracted an intimacy with the late celebrated Dr Alexander Monro; and, with him, on their return to Edinburgh, projected the revival of medical lectures; where but little. had been done in that department fince the firft eftablishment of the medical profefforfhips in 1665, under Sir Robert Sibbald, and Dr Pitcairn.. The plan was modelled by that of Leyden. Monro was appointed to give lestures in anatomy and furgery; and Alfton in botany, and the materia mediça. Rutherford, Sinclair, and Plummer, were foon after appointed to fill up the other depattments and, to the fpirited endea vours of thefe celebrated names, the univerfity of Edinburgh owes the rife of that reputation, which has fince fo defervedly railed it to be one. of the firft fchools of phyfic in Europe.

Dr Aifton continued to teach botany, and the materia_medica, with unwearied affiduity, until the time of

his

his death, which took place Nov. 22, 1760, in the 77th year of his age.

In 1740, Dr Aliton publifhed for the ufe of his pupils, "Index Plantarum præcipue Officinalium, quæ in Horto Medico Edinburgenfi, Studiofis demonftrantur." 8vo.

In 1752, "Index Medicamentorum Simplicium triplex." 8vo. pp. 172. 1. Alphabetical; the officinal names, with numerous fynonyms, from the best botanical writers, pp. 118. 2. Officinal names only; foffils, vegetables, animals, in the order of his lectures. 3. Claffification of the officinal names, according to the virtues; beginning with the abforbents, and ending with vulneraries. A table of the dofes of emetics and purgatives.

In botany, Dr Alfton's chief performance was, his "Tirocinium tanicum Edinburgenfe?" 1753, 8vo. It contains a republication of his "Index," firft printed in 1740; to which he now added the "Fundamenta Botanica" of Linnæus. But the bulk of the work is a profeffed attempt to explode the fyftem of the Swede, and particularly to invalidate all his arguments for the fex of plants. This part of it was tranflated by himfelf, and publifhed the next year in the firft volume of "Elays and Obfervations, phyfical and literary." 8vo. Could the doctrine of the fexes of plants have been easily fhaken, the learning and abilities of Alfton were fufficient to have effected this purpofe, But as it was not at that time fupported by hypothefis alone, fo it has fince gained additional ftrength, by new experiments, and found inductions, refulting from them. Nurtured from his early years in the fyftems of Tournefort, Ray, and Boerhaave, to the firft of which he had even given improvement, it is not ftrange, that, at an advanced age, Dr Alfton rejected a fyftem of fo much novelty, as that of Linnæus prefented. We do not willingly unlearn at fixty,

what has been cherished from our earliest youth.

Dr Alton's medical papers are, "A Differtation on Tin as an Anthelmintic ;"" A Differtation on Opium ;" and "A Cafe of extravafated Blood in the Pericardium." Thefe are printed in the Edinburgh Medical Effays.

In 1743, he discovered a property. in quick lime, which led him to be lieve, that the power of lime was not exhausted by repeated affufions of water to the fame lime; he adds, even for twenty or thirty times. The firft notices of this paradox, as he then called it, were communicated to the Royal Society, and were printed in the forty-feventh volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions. This opinion was contefted, and drew him into a controverfy with his friend and colleague, Dr Whytt. Having continued his experiments, and enlarged his obfervations, he published, in 1752, his "Diflertation on QuickLime and Lime Water;" republifhed in 1754, and in 1757; in which he replies to Dr Whytt's Strictures; and, after enumerating a variety of dif eafes, in which lime water has proved efficacious, confirms the opinion of his colleague relating to its lithontriptic powers.

Dr Alfton's Lectures on the Materia Medica were prepared for the prefs before his deceafe, and were publifhed under the following title:

"Lectures on the Materia Medica; containing the Natural History of Drugs, their Virtues and Dofes: alfo, Directions for the Study of the Materia Medica; and an Appendix on the Method of Prefcribing. Publifhed from the Manufcript of the late Dr Charles Alfton, Profeffor of Botany, and the Materia Medica, in the University of Edinburgh. By John Hope, M. D. Profeffor of Medicine and Botany in that University." In two vol. 4to. 1770. pp. 544 and 584.

2

The

The first eleven lectures confift of preliminary difcourfes; on the rife and progrefs of this knowledge; on the operation of medicines; of errors concerning the materia medica; on claffing fimples according to their virtues; and fome account of authors who have written on fimples.

In treating on each fubject, after reciting the officinal name, and the principal fynonyma, the defcription, and place of growth, Dr Alfton gives, in his own words, the fenfible quali ties, powers, and ufes of each fimple; after which follows, in the words of the authors themselves, a copious detail of the opinions of refpectable writers, relating to each; concluding with a recital of all the officinal compounds into which each fimple enters. Add to this, the reader will meet with a variety of collateral, and historical information, which is highly gratifying to all fuch as wish to extend their enquiries beyond the mere nomenclature, and quality of each fubftance; and which could otherwife be acquired only from laborious researches.

Although the reader will not find the author giving implicit belief to

the manifold, and vaunted powers, attributed to numberiefs fimples, through almoft all preceding writers; but on the contrary, will meet with judicious doubts, obfervations, and experiments; yet, Dr Aifton's Materia Medica muft be confidered, on the whole, as exhibiting rather the state of it, as it has been, than as it is, in the works of Lewis, Bergius, Murray, and Cullen. It is but of late that philofophers and phyficians have exercifed that degree of fcepticiim on the power of medicines, which muft ever influence the mind, when experiments alone form the foundation of medical practice.

Were it within my plan to extend my obfervations, I fhould, with grateful pleasure, expatiate on the improved itate of botany at Edinburgh, af ter this period; when the zeal, and abilities, of my much-honoured and refpected friend, the late Dr John Hope, affifted by the royal bounty, enabled him to raise the study of botany to an eminence unrivalled, unless at Upfal, by any univerfity in Eur rope.

HE discovery of the contraction

plication of a ftimulus, or of what the immortal Haller called animal Irritability, ought to be confidered as one of the most important that have been made in Phyfiology. It feems furprifing that, though this discovery was made forty years ago, no one has undertaken to examine it more particularly. Perhaps the reason is, that it was not favourably received by the public at the time it was made, and that it has required thirty years to

establish it, and to defend it against

of