The first known heart medicine was discovered in an English garden. In 1799, physician John Ferriar noted the effect of dried leaves of the common foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea, on heart action. But the credit for introducing digitalis into the practice of medicine goes to William Withering from Shropshire. Still used in heart medications, digitalis slows the pulse and increases the force of heart contractions and the amount of blood pumped per heartbeat. Dr. Erasmus Darwin, Grandfather of Charles Darwin, employed digitalis to good effect and sought to immortalize it in the following verses: Digitalis Bolster'd with down, amid a thousand wants, Pale Dropsy rears his bloated form, and pants; "Quench me ye cool pellucid rills," he cries, Wets his parch'd tongue and rolls his hollow eyes. So bends tormented Tantalus to drink While from his lips the refluent waters shrink; Again the rising stream his bosom laves And thirst consumes him mid circumfluen...