Dietrich
was an herbalist also known as
Tabernaemontanus. He was familiar with the work
of Brunfels and Bock. He was a physician and a
Protestant and became interested in botany. His herbal
entitled Neuw Kreuterbuch was first printed in
1588. He described more than 3000 plants with many
illustrations. The illustrations were eventually
printed separately as there were an increasing number
of botanists and gardeners who were primarily
interested in the illustrations.
Many of his woodblocks were eventually purchased by
an English printer, John Norton, who used them to
illustrate the Herball or General Historie of
Plants of John Gerarde (London, 1597).
Grete Herball printed by Peter Treveris in
1526 was a translation of a well-known French herbal
known as La Grand Herbier. This later volume
was based on a German herbal (1485). In this book
Greek mythology finds a place side by side with
Christianity. Some medicines enumerated have remained
to the present day. This book throws an interesting
light on the early names of British plants. It exposed
methods of "faking" drugs indicating his interest in
aiding the common people.
