The Development of Medical Botany

Content of Course

1. General introduction to the prominent figures and places in medical botany from Ancient Egypt to seventeenth century Europe and brief historical survey.

2. Plants and Medicine in Ancient Egypt.

3. The foundations of Botany in Greece and Rome – Theophrastus, Nicander, Nicolaus of Damascus to Pliny.

4. The development of medical botany – Hippocrates, Diocles of Carystus, Krateuas, Dioscorides, Galen and the use of poisons in Ancient Rome.

5. Early herbals: the existing manuscripts (and the origins of their text and illustrations).

6. Botany and Pharmacology in Anglo-Saxon Britain; monastic herbalists.

7. The great Renaissance herbalists: Fuchs, Turner, Gerard, Culpeper.

8. The rise of the Physic Garden and its development in the Botanic Garden; modern physic gardens (Dilston, Northumberland; Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand the development of botany and medical botany from the Classical to the Early Modern period;

• Locate the interpretation of plants – and especially their medical uses - by Classical authors within a social/historical context;

• Relate the botanical writings of Classical authors to the development of medical botany;

• Have an awareness of the relationship between the botanical writings of Classical authors and their philosophical works.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

No core reading as copies of PowerPoint presentations will be emailed or printed for students.

Recommended:

• Arber, A.R.,1938. Herbals, their origin and evolution: a chapter in the history of botany 1470-1670. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Baumann, H.,1993. Greek Wild Flowers and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece. Translated and augmented by W.T. Stearn and E.R. Stearn. London: Herbert Press.

• Blunt, W. & Raphael, S., 1979. The Illustrated Herbal. London: Frances Lincoln Publishers.

• Fletcher, H.,1970. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 1670-1970. Edinburgh: HMSO.

• Greene, E.L.,1983. Landmarks in Botanical History. Edited by F.N. Egerton. 2 volumes. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

• Hardy, F.G.& Totelin, L., 2015 Ancient Botany. London:Routledge.

• Harris, S., 2007. The Magnificent Flora Graeca: How the Mediterranean came to the English Garden. Oxford: Bodleian Library.

• Pavord, A., 2005. The Naming of Names: the search for order in the world of plants. London: Bloomsbury.

• Raven, J.E., 2000. Plants and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece. Oxford: Leopard’s Head Press.

Web Sources

Web sources will be provided in class handout where relevant.

Class Handouts

Texts in English translation will be displayed on PowerPoint during classes and subsequently made available to students (e- / hard copy, according to preference).

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.