Item data
Item Type:
Document
From:
Pitchford, John
Sent from:
Norwich, Norfolk
To:
Smith, Sir James Edward
Sent to location:
Edinburgh
Summary:
Does not think botany is essential to medical education beyond knowing which plants are used in medicine. Botanical discoveries: Sir Joseph Banks and [Daniel] Solander call Smith's 'Lichen miniatus' 'L. deustus'; [James] Crowe and [James] Dickson found 30 new cryptogamic species in Norfolk including two 'Pezizas' and a Jungermannia called 'hypnoides'; [Henry] Bryant found Dillenius' 'Sphaerocephalus terrestris minimus'; [Robert] Stone of Bungay [(d 1829)] discovered 'Hydnum imbricatum' and 'Lycoperdon coliforme'; description of a 'Fungus pulverulentus [...]' Ray "Synopsis methodica" 28.12. Discussion of plants: has not seen 'Lichen pullus' or 'Fucus palmatus'; Crowe's 'Lichen horizaontalis'; mistook 'Lichen parellus' for 'Lichen pertusus'; discoveries of 'Helvella caryophyllaea', 'Lichen miniatus', 'Boletus lucidus'; hopes to send 'Agaricus quercinus', 'Agaricus betulinus', and 'Boletus fomentarius'. Young [Carl] Linnaeus [(1741-1783)] is in London, has stopped his publication plans on account of Banks' 40,000 discoveries [possibly Australian plants].
Letter date:
Apr 1782
Languages:
English
Prev Ref No:
8.96
Additional Information:
| Note type | Note |
|---|
| Publn Note | Smith, P (ed.), (1832). "Memoir and correspondence of... Sir James Edward Smith" London: Longman, vol 1, pp.41-44. |
| Related Material | Ray, J, (1690). "Synopsis methodica stirpium Britannicarum, in qua tum notae generum characteristicae traduntur, tum species singulae breviter describuntur ... (Emendanda in catalogo plantarum Angliae)." Londini: prostant apud Sam Smith. |
| Additional | Smith replied 6 Aug [1782] |
