MR. FROST AND THE MEDICO-BOTANICAL SOCIETY.
A MOST absurd and partial statement of a dispute between the Medico-Botanical Society and Mr. Faosr has been put forth by the i Observer. In that candid narrative, Mr. FROST s represented as having become " a marked man—a man to be talked down and written down, to be put down and put out," because he had " struck out a new path in the scientific world," by founding the Medico-Botanical, Society. The path which we have long seen the worthy gentleman beating is by no means a new one ; it is the path of newspaper notice —the seven shilling, Day-and-Martin-trodden road to fame. If we could look upon Mr. FROST as a servant of science, we should regard any difficulties in which he might have become involved with regret; but he has not so permitted us to consider him. Upon what basis do his pretensicns stand, even on the favourable showing of his friend in the Observer On simply founding a society, and obtaining for it the patronage of great names. Is 'one word said of Mr. FROST'S scientific services, while with his courtships, his wooing exalted personages to subscribe their names to the Society, every newspaper has surfeited its readers. Within twenty-four hours of a great man's arrival in this country, Mr. FROST was at him, soli- citing his patronage of the Medico-Botanical Society; which thus ap- pearing a mere roll of noble names greedily and indiscriminatingly sought, has been brought into the common contempt of a quality-hunt- ing quackery. This may be unjust—the Society may in modest silence have been effecting useful objects ; but, unfortunately for its reputa- tion, its good services have been kept in the shade, and stress has only been laid on the immaterial circumstance of its honorary patronage. Its boast has been its rank; and we have heard of its botany only in the parasitical genus, or its culling the simples of high birth. A society professedly scientific, whch never talked of what it had done, and bragged alone of its big names, could not but be degraded in esti- mation. This injury we have no hesitation in saying Mr. FROST has done to.the Medico-Botanical Society; whose incessant vaunts of the barrenest distinctions have filled many persons with disgust, and afforded subject of ridicule to all. In the bestowal of these question- able honours, Mr. FROST always appeared a party—the recipient party ; and if the Society represented have conceived that he has formed and used it as his stepping-stool to contact with the great, can . we be surprised at its displeasure, or the consequences? Every fea- ture since the hour of its organization has indeed been marked with quackery. It is scarcely possible to take up a newspaper without reading some notice of the Botanical Society and Mr..FaosT ; and the notice always of the same personal character, the same creeping address to rank,—the botany apparently consisting in the cultivation of sprigs of nobility. One of the machineries of quackery described by the'favouring hand of the Observer indicates the manner and the method of the craft.
" During the fashion for autographs, it occurred to the Director, that a book to contain the signatures of all the royal, noble, and distinguished per- sonages who might honour the Society by becoming members of it, would be both valuable and curious. Accordingly, a nice red morocco book was pro- cured, with /rat-pressed vellum paper, gilt edges, a loch, and—if our memory be not treacherous—puride-fringed ribbons:- in this book was written, first of all, the obligation to obey the laws of the Society, to which the signatures of the members were subjoined. The pages destined for royal signatures were embellished with flowers, emblematical of the Society's botanical pursuits. In short, the book appeared altogether so pretty, that the very sight of it was enough to tempt any one to write his name in it : and as the Society increased in numbers, so many great names were inserted, that the privilege of sub- scribing to such a list became an object of ambition."
This is botany. By the temptation of autographing it in a nice red morocco book, with hot-pressed vellum paper, gilt edges, a lock, and purple-fringed ribbons, a society for the promotion of medical botany was to be formed ; that is to say, the idlest vanity was the bait,—as for qualification, rank was sufficient. We perceive that we have committed an injustice in negativing the instance of any scientific researches. The Observer speaks of the "high and palmy state of John Frost, on the 7th of September last, when he appeared with two foreign orders of knighthood on his breast, conferred on him, for his exertions in the cause of science, with the decora- tion of the fleur-de-lys of France about his neck ; besides a gold medal pre- sented to him by his Medico-Botanical bantling, for a paper on the subject of the plant which affords the ipecacuanha."
Too much of ipecacuanha hest thou (riven us, JOHN FROST! The means of making folks sick have been admirably cultivated.
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