April 2, 1862 (Tuesday): Gathering Medicinal Herbs

Medicalantiques.com

SURGEON-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Richmond, Va., April 2, 1862.
    It is the policy of all nations at all times, especially such as at present exists in our Confederacy, to make every effort to develop its internal resources, and to diminish its tribute to foreigners by supplying its necessities from the productions of its own soil. This observation may be considered peculiarly applicable to the appropriation of our indigenous medicinal substances of the vegetable kingdom, and with the view of promoting this object the inclosed pamphlet,* embracing many of the more important medicinal plants, has been issued for distribution to the medicinal officers of the Army of the Confederacy now in the field. You are particularly instructed to call the attention of those of your corps within your district to the property of the necessity for collecting and preparing with care such of the within enumerated remedial agents, or others found valuable, as their respective enumerated remedial agents, or other found valuable, as their respective charges may require during the present summer and coming winter, with the directions to forward to the medical purveyors of their district for preparation and distribution such amounts of those articles as they may be able to have collected, as well as their own supply for which they may not have storage.
    Our forests and savannahs furnish our materia medica with a moderate number of narcotics and sedatives, and an abundant supply of tonics, astringents, aromatics, and demulcents, while the list of anodynes, emetics, and cathartics remains in a comparative degree incomplete. The attention of the profession should therefore be especially directed to a determination of the relative value and specific application of such of the last-mentioned classes as have been adopted in practice, as well as to the discovery of curative virtues in others of the same classes not yet introduced to public notice.
    Information thus elicited, when of sufficient importance, should be communicated through the medical director of the army corps or military department to this office. Instructions relative to the procuration of a proper supply of indigenous medicinal substances will be forwarded to medical purveyors.



S. P. MOORE,
Surgeon-General.

*Not Found

Series 4., Vol. 1, Part 1, Page 1041.

The practical nature of military organization is often neglected.  It is interesting to consider that medical officers would travel with a pamphlet to use in identifying medicinal substances growing in the path of armies.