William Withering was born at Wellington, Shropshire, England on March 17, 1741; he died in Birmingham, England on October 6, 1799. Withering was the son of an apothecary at Wellington. He is considered to have been one of the most capable clinicians of his time. He also acquired considerable distinction as a botanist, which earned him the sobriquet "the flower of physicians." He is particularly memorable for his pioneering work in the use of digitalis. After graduating form Edinburgh Medical School in 1766, he served as physician at Stafford Infirmary from 1776 to 1775. On the death of William Small (1734 to 1775), one of the founders of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, Erasmus Darwin invited Withering to take over Small's medical practice in Birmingham. (Withering also became a member of the Lunar society, and several of its members became his patients.) Withering went on to establish a successful practice, and became physician to the General Hospital...