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This remarkable description of Jamaica in the 1680s was written by a contemporary English observer, John Taylor, who spent some months on the island. The original manuscript is held by the National Library of Jamaica, and has rarely been used by scholars. It contains information about Jamaica under the Spaniards, about the English invasion of 1655 and about the formation of the subsequent society, including the treatment of slaves. There are sections on the islands settlement and architecture, including a particularly full description of Port Royal. John Taylor sets out fifty current laws, many of them unknown to other such collections. He also carefully explains the nature of Jamaicas birds, beasts and plants.
Taylor offers an image of the island before the general spread of sugar cultivation, citing some creatures now extinct in Jamaica; he also makes many suggestions about the medical use of natural products. His world is still one in which certain places are enchanted, though he also describes an island whose main features will be entirely familiar to modern Jamaicans. His language is a piquant mixture, drawn from medieval England, from North America and even from the Orient, reflecting the fact that this was the first period of major English commercial expansion.
The medicinal plants in the book were reviewed previously and grouped on their practice to treat communicable and non-communicable diseases and also botanical classification. The identified phytochemicals from the plants were compared to established drug compounds approved for the conventional treatment of illnesses and also established phytochemicals. The book outlines that sixty six percent (66%) of medicinal plants entries identified for the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases contain pharmacologically active phytochemicals; while fifty one percent (51%) of the entries contain phytochemicals with activities consistent with their reported use. These findings conclude that folklore botanical medicine is well grounded scientifically.
The primary readers of this book are Barbadians and other Caribbean nationals who practice the use of herbal remedies and are keen on validating their uses. The secondary audiences are academics who wish to investigate these herbal remedies as sources of new drug compounds and clinicians who wish to be guided about possible drug herb interactions. The book presents insightful information to both groups about the possible uses of herbal remedies. This book is by no means advocating the irrational use of any medication.
Together, these essays illustrate the historical and continuing efforts in the various spheres of human endeavour in the Caribbean, including culture, education, language, social organisation, gender and politics notwithstanding the constraints placed on Caribbean people by the legacies of slavery and colonialism to finish the business of emancipation.
Contributors: Agnel Barron, April Bernard, Bridget Brereton, Alan Cobley, Sandra Gift, Ena Harris, Oba Kenyatta Omowale Kiteme, Hilde Neus van der Putten, Edith Pérez Sisto, Agostinho M.N. Pinnock, Kelvin Quintyne, Kirwin R. Shaffer, Hazel Simmons-McDonald, Victor C. Simpson, Jerome Teelucksingh.