Why were the earliest European botanical gardens connected to university medical schools?

The earliest European botanical gardens were closely linked to university medical schools because they functioned as "physic gardens." During this period, professors of medicine were typically the primary experts in botany, and these gardens served two essential purposes: they provided a practical space for the training of medical students and acted as a source for cultivating the plants necessary to produce the crude medicines of the time.1

These institutions were stimulated by the wider circulation of herbals—manuals used to identify plants for medicinal purposes—following the advent of printing. By establishing these gardens, universities could ensure a reliable supply of medicinal flora while facilitating the academic study of plant properties.12