Benjamin Smith Barton

Benjamin Smith Barton (February 10, 1766 – December 19, 1815) was an American botanist and physician. Barton studied at the York Academy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1780 to 1782, then attended the College of Philadelphia, studying medicine under Thomas Shippen from 1784, and accompanying David Rittenhouse on an expedition to survey the western boundary of Pennsylvania in 1785, which aroused his interest in Native Americans. In 1786 he transfe... more

Benjamin Smith Barton (February 10, 1766 – December 19, 1815) was an American botanist and physician. Barton studied at the York Academy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1780 to 1782, then attended the College of Philadelphia, studying medicine under Thomas Shippen from 1784, and accompanying David Rittenhouse on an expedition to survey the western boundary of Pennsylvania in 1785, which aroused his interest in Native Americans. In 1786 he transferred to the University of Edinburgh, where he stayed for two years before leaving as a result of disagreements with two professors. He then moved to the University of Göttingen, from which he obtained an M.D. in 1789. Upon graduation, Barton returned to the College of Philadelphia as an instructor, which would soon (in 1791) merge with the University of Pennsylvania. In 1790 he was appointed professor of botany and natural history, and in 1795 chair of materia medica. In 1813 he became chair of the theory and practice of medicine following the... less