Frederick John Poynton was born at Kelston rectory, Bath, in 1869. On leaving Marlborough College he started his medical education at University College, Bristol, and continued it at St. Mary's Hospital where he won a scholarship in Anatomy and Physiology. He qualified in 1893, and rapidly showed the absorbing interest in children which largely determined his medical career. A disciple of Chead...

Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae), or St. John's Wort, is a well-known medicinal herb often associated with the treatment of anxiety and depression. Additionally, an oil macerate (Oleum Hyperici) of its flowering aerial parts is widely used in traditional medicine across the Balkans as a topical wound and ulcer salve. Other studies have shown that Oleum Hyperici reduces both wound size and...

Extracts from Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort; Clusiaceae) are widely used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Four classes of constituents – hyperforins, hypericins, flavonoids, and xanthones – appear to contribute to the antidepressant activity. Interestingly, all four classes of secondary metabolites involve polyketide derivatives. Key reactions of their biosyntheses are ...