The first flora of Great Britain using Linnean binomial nomenclature, and the first complete scientific classification and description of British plants in the English language. Withering included much information on natural places of growth, time of flowering, economic uses as foods and drugs, and poisonous properties.

Withering's explanatory title page was notably verbose. Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.

Withering, best remembered for his book on the foxglove, described the epidemics of scarlet fever which occurred in England in 1771 and 1778.

Before  publication of Withering's book digitalis was a widely used folk remedy, occasionally mentioned in the literature. Withering established the correct dosages, and the action of digitalis in edema and on the heart became generally recognized. Withering did not know of the distinction between renal and cardiac edema. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link The copy reproduced does not appear to contain the engraving of the purple foxglove.

Withering's collected works, with the exception of his A botanical arrangement of all the the vegetables naturally growing in the Great Britain. Includes the second edition of his monograph on the foxglove. Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.

This work consists of a reproduction of Withering's classic text published in 1785, extensively annotated by Aronson, followed by Aronson's history of "the use of the digitalis glycosides and related compounds over the past 200 years."

Details William Osler's acquisition of the letters and his donation of them to the Royal Society of Medicine.