THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 89 



The thesis pubhshed by him, " De Lavatione Frigida," was 

 dedicated to his friend and instructor, Linnaeus.* 



He visited France, Holland and Germany, but whether 

 before or after his residence at Edinburgh, is not known. 



In the month of January, 1768, he returned from 

 London to his native country, and settled in Philadelphia, 

 where he quickly rose to a high degree of estimation 

 amongst his elder medical brethren, and soon succeeded to 

 the most respectable practice. He was appointed professor 

 of materia medica and botany in the College of Philadelphia 

 (now the University of Pennsylvania), in January, 1768, 

 and commenced his first course of botany in May following. 

 He was probably the first professor of botany in this 

 country, yet, though he had the advantage of studying 

 under the illustrious Swede, and was said to have been a 

 favorite pupil, it does not appear that he ever did much for 

 the science. 



In May, 1775, Dr. Kuhn was elected one of the 

 physicians to the Pennsylvania Hospital, which he attended 

 until his resignation in January, 1798, having served the 

 institution, with his usual diligence and faithfulness, 

 upwards of twenty-two years. 



The Philadelphia Dispensary, for the medical relief of 

 the poor, the first institution of its kind in the United 

 States, was founded in 1786. Dr. Kuhn was appointed one 

 of the consulting physicians, and ever proved himself to be 

 amongst the foremost of its steady friends and patrons. 



The College of Physicians of Philadelphia was estab- 

 lished in 1787, of which Dr. Kuhn was always an active 

 member. On the decease of Dr. William Shippen, in July, 



* 1828. TuACHER— American Medical Biography, I, 349. 



