A Doctor's Garden

Dr. C.B. Wilson was among the first doctors to live in Sarasota and practice medicine there, establishing his practice in 1906 and serving the community until his death in 1941. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, major advances in medical research identified substances and compounds that changed the treatment of illness, but doctors still had few synthetic pharmaceutical medicines and relied heavily on herbal concoctions, tinctures, poultices, and compounds. They used a specific range of plants to make medicines for their patients and routinely grew many of these plants in their own gardens so medicines could be prepared as needed. The garden at the Wilson house reflects a typical early 1900s garden, with plants grown not only for medicine but also for dyes, food, seasonings, and pollen for beehives commonly kept by early settlers. Most of the plants used there are native to south Florida and can still be seen in parks and preserves today. Ethnobotany is the study of the interactions and relationships between plants and people over time and space.

Bee Ridge, Florida · United States