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SUMMARY:The 'lesser herbals' in early modern natural history - Xinyi Wen (
 Department of History and Philosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20211011T120000Z
DTEND:20211011T130000Z
UID:TALK163201@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Olin Moctezuma
DESCRIPTION:In many traditional historiographies\, the history of early mo
 dern English herbals ended with John Parkinson's encyclopaedic _Theatrum B
 otanicum_ (1640)\, followed by the rise of pre-Linneaus botany in the eigh
 teenth century. This paper will unravel a forgotten history of late sevent
 eenth-century English 'lesser herbals' and their significance. A term borr
 owed from the pseudo Hannah Woolley\, the 'lesser herbals' refer to a grou
 p of herbal literature emerged in the second half of seventeenth century c
 haracterised by their small size. Written by learned physicians\, these he
 rbals usually focused on plants locally available in England\, aiming to o
 ffer the public practical guidance for collecting\, preserving and curing.
  Characteristically\, they were heavily influenced by astrological botany 
 and the doctrine of signatures – a Paracelsian theory connecting plants'
  medicinal value to their morphological resemblance with human body parts.
  This paper will exhibit a reading history of the 'lesser herbals' through
  actors ranging from London wine merchants to apothecary James Petiver and
  natural historian John Aubrey. I will show how the 'lesser herbals' were 
 highly regarded by readers from various backgrounds\, and how their compac
 tness and unique structure benefited readers' retrieval and reorganisation
  of herbal knowledge. More importantly\, it was those so-called superstiti
 ons – astrological botany and the doctrine of signatures – that provid
 ed new methods and diverse practice-oriented taxonomies\, which influenced
  latter history of botany.
LOCATION:Zoom and Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of
  Science
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