The family of Duncan Napier, who founded Scotland's first herbal apothecary in 1860, find his forgotten diaries.
By Angie BrownForgotten diaries have been found which reveal how a chance meeting changed the life of an illiterate baker - who became a pioneer of herbal medicine in Edinburgh.
The story of their chance meeting has been revealed for the first time in forgotten diaries - each more than 100 years old - which were found recently by his great-granddaughter, Lynda Melvin. The eminent lawyer, whose grandfather created the UK's first Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, persuaded the teenager to go to night school, join a church and renounce alcohol.
"Duncan had a very tough upbringing and we hear how he went on to overcome illiteracy to help Edinburgh's poor," Mr Melvin said. Another woman with severely ulcerated legs had been told her legs would have to be amputated - but the diary recorded that she was cured by a herbal remedy.