There are two valuable collections in the library's collection: old prints (828 volumes from the 16th-18th centuries) and 19th-century polonica (about 8200 volumes), which make up the National Library Resource. Here we would like to present to you the most interesting and valuable collections that the library has in its collection. We also invite you to visit the Library of the NIKIDW Branch in Pulawy, where readers can directly acquaint themselves with selected titles.
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Winkler, Edward
Flora lekarska, czyli opisanie cech rodzajów i gatunkowych wszystkich roślin w medycynie używanych, Warsaw, 1852
Of all the parts of natural history, botany has the greatest use in the art of medicine. Medicinal plants and herbs have been used for centuries in disease prevention and medicine. They have accompanied man since the dawn of time, and their use has been closely linked to the history of human nutrition.
Plants are best learned in their natural environment. Often this is not possible, so in order to get information about their properties we must rely on literature. Plant descriptions alone do not always give a faithful representation of individual species. In many cases, it is much more important to have well-executed engravings that show all the generic and species characteristics.
Until now, there was no work in the Polish language that, in addition to descriptions, also contained a rich set of color illustrations. This fact, prompted Edward Winkler to publish "Medical Flora". This work consists of 270 color engravings, each of which contains one plant species with a description of its generic and typological characteristics.
In the Foreword, the author writes: "Knowledge of Botany, and a particular thorough knowledge of the plants that provide us with so many effective remedies, is irrefutably necessary for those who are entrusted by vocation with the duty of saving the health of their fellow human beings."
The publication was aimed, among others, at landowners, who, using herbs to produce remedies and collect them in their home medicine cabinets, were also tasked with promoting herbalism in the rural environment.
Two editions of Flora lekarska have been published in Poland - from 1852 (available in the collection of the NIKIDW Library) and from 1858.
Elaborated. Boguslaw Wisniewski
Elaborated. Edited by Joanna Radziewicz
Fot. polona.pl
