46 Cinciunati Society of Natural History. 



OLIVER D. NORTON 



It is somewhat difficult for one who had not the pleasure 

 of an intimate acquaintance with him until long after he had 

 passed the meridian of his remarkable career, to pay adequate 

 tribute to the life and services of Doctor Oliver D. Norton. He 

 died on Thanksgiving Day, 1907, at the advanced age of 8(1 

 years, -t months and 2<S days. All those who were his contem- 

 poraries when he was conceded a place in the front rank of 

 the really eminent physicians and surgeons of Cincinnati pre 

 ceded him to the other shore. 



He was born at Westhampton, Mass., July 1, 1821, and 

 was a lineal descendant of Thomas Norton, who came from 

 England in 1639, and settled in Guilford, Conn. He had only 

 the meager educational advantages of the country schools of 

 that day. 



When he was ten years of age he suffered a severe injury 

 to his right knee, and his studies were for a time interrupted. 

 At this early age he had developed a tjiirst for knowledge 

 unusual in one of his years. The injury to his knee was 

 looked after by Dr. J. Flint, of Northampton, Mass., the father 

 of the renowned Dr. Austin Flint, physician and medical writer 

 of New York. It is more than likely that the close personal 

 contact with Dr. Flint during the many weeks while his knee 

 was healing had a compelling influence on the mind of young 

 Norton in the direction of the study of medicine. At the age 

 of thirteen we find him in the office of the village doctor at 

 Southampton compounding prescriptions and doing such other 

 chores as were required of him, for which he received his 

 board and lodging. He was thus enabled to attend school 

 during the day without expense to his father. 



For six years it was his good fortune to be thrown amongst 

 teachers of rare qualities, under whose instruction he acquired 

 a thorough knowledge of the natural sciences, particularly of 

 chemistry and botany. During the same period he took up 



