Re: VMS -- Botany (f25r) Mint

[Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Dana,

Just a couple of botany-related thoughts for you:

(1) The BBC (in association with the Open University, the UK's foremost 
distance-learning institute) commissioned a number of programs covering 
different sides of the Renaissance: and have put full transcripts (and a 
certain amount of links and supporting material) up on the Internet.

Series 1 homepage is:-  http://www.open2.net/renaissance/
Series 2 homepage is:-  http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/

The episode I guess you'd be most interested in is called "Secret Of The 
Winter Garden": it's about a series of 1800 beautiful (and meticulous) 
watercolour botanical images, found in Krakow, thought to have been painted 
in the 16th Century:-
        http://www.open2.net/renaissance/prog3/fmtv2.htm

These seem like an excellent source of visual comparison: also, the names 
of each plant are carefully recorded in several languages beside them, 
which might help us with cribs here. :-)

BTW: in the second series, there was a wonderful program (aired last night 
here in the UK) called "The Italian Patient", which discussed hospitals in 
15th Century Italy (specifically Florence). No transcript for this 
(shame!), but a good-sized summary (and supporting links) is to be found at:-
        http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/doing/italian.html

There were as many as 30-40 major pharmacists in Florence then, and they 
were extremely wealthy: they were in the guild "Arte dei Medici e 
Speziale", which also included doctors, painters and spice dealers. Hmmm... 
the VMS as written by an exotic spice dealer...? :-/

(2) Have you seen "Brother Cadfael's herb garden :an illustrated companion 
to Medieval plants and their uses", by Robin Whiteman? Here's a link:-
        http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?show=Hardcover:New:0821223879:29.95

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....