The medical field

I cross this unremarkable piece of pasture  on my way to the coast, 15 minutes walk from my house. 

Currently the wild flowers I notice growing here include yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and its close relation, sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica), redshank (Persicaria maculosa) and fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica) - they  are pictured in that order in the extra images.. 

Yarrow was one of the most important herbal medications, used since ancient times for staunching wounds  and  treating  nosebleeds; Sneezewort was employed to clear the nasal passages;  Redshank, so called for its ruby stalks,  was thought to help with the relief of stomach pain;  Fleabane was considered an important remedy for dysentery and, burnt, its smoke - as its name suggests - banished parasites. Quite a pharmocopeia for one small paddock.

In the wider field of medicine we have just lost a shining star. Oliver Sacks, who died two days ago,  was not simply a doctor but a genuine healer, a prolific writer, a massive intellect, a cultural icon (whatever that is)  and above all, an extraordinary human being.  For however lauded and lionized he became he never lost his humility, his curiosity and his essential vulnerability. He never stopped learning and he continued writing with the greatest clarity  and humour, until shortly before his death, still marvelling at what the experience of living, and of dying, had to teach. 
There have been innumerable obituaries. This one from the New York Times links to several of the short pieces he wrote for that journal and to his final article 'Sabbath' published only two weeks ago.