Shakespeare’s herbal lore

In his plays and poems, Shakespeare shows a distinct familiarity with wildflowers and cultivated plants. Their medicinal properties apart, he also senses their psychological effects. But where did he acquire that knowledge?

Dr Nicholson of Toronto

An eminent G.P. retired last week at the grand age of 80 and, ironically, for health reasons. He embodied a breed of doctor who treated the person as well as the illness and whose worldview embraced that other great medicine: humour.