South African Traditional Medicinal Plants from KwaZulu - Natal. 2 vols. illus. 239 p. plus illus. Paper bd. 8vo. - In box.

This book is based on the beautiful notebooksthat the Norwegian medical doctor Henrik Greve Blessing wrote when hewas visiting the KwaZulu-Natal district 1901-1904. Blessing wasthe medical doctor on board the ship Fram that went towardsthe North Pole with Fridtjof Nansen during the years 1893-96. In these notebooks he described 98 plants, both botanically and with their local use for illnesses, pains and as agents against poisoning. For most plants the only names given were the Zulunames. The last part of this book is a facsimile of Blessings original notebooks. Scientists from Norway and South Africa have identified the plants, taken photographs of them, and described the use of the plants traditionally as well as modern knowledge about effects. The book is both of cultural, medicinal and pharmaceutical historic interest, and represents part of the historic relations between South Africa and Norway.