834 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



SKETCH OF BENJAMIN SMITH BARTON. 



OF the three professions formerly distinguished as " learned," 

 that of medicine is the only one connected with natural sci- 

 ence. Hence it is not surprising that, in the times when scien- 

 tific research could seldom be pursued except as an avocation, it 

 was frequently joined to his vocation by the physician. The 

 history of medicine in the Old World is adorned with the names 

 of many profound students of Nature, and in America the name 

 of Dr. Barton stands at the head of a considerable list of eminent 

 investigators who either followed or at least entered upon the 

 medical profession. 



BENJAMIN SMITH BARTON was one of the younger children of 

 the Rev. Thomas Barton, an Episcopal clergyman, and was born 

 at Lancaster, Pa., February 10, 1766. His mother was a sister 

 of David Rittenhouse, the astronomer. He received, therefore, 

 a double inheritance of intellectual ability, but the benefits of 

 parental care and training were lost to him at an early age. 

 His mother died when he was eight years old, and his father 

 when he was fourteen. Early in the fall of 1778 Mr. Thomas 

 Barton had left Pennsylvania, intending to go to Europe, but 

 was taken sick before he could conveniently set sail, and died 

 without returning to his home, May 25, 1780, at the age of fifty 

 years. 



Before leaving Lancaster Mr. Barton had placed his younger 

 children in the care of a friend in the country near by, where 

 they remained until after their father's death. During this 

 period young Benjamin devoted much of his time to reading, 

 showing considerable fondness for the subject of civil history. 

 Being a studious boy, he naturally took less interest than boys 

 generally do in athletic sports. His predilection for natural his- 

 tory, especially for botany, appeared early, and very likely had 

 received some encouragement from his father, who is known to 

 have been a student of Nature. In a note to his Observations on 

 the Desiderata of Natural History Dr. Barton speaks of the 

 "fine collection of North American minerals, which was made 

 by my father near forty years ago, at a time when he paid more 

 attention to this part of natural history than, so far as I know, 

 any other person in the (then) colonies." It appears also that 

 the Rev. Thomas Barton was a member of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society, and corresponded with Linnaeus on botanical 

 subjects. 



Young Benjamin early displayed a notable talent for drawing, 

 and afterward became also remarkably skillful in etching. His 

 artistic ability was of great service to him in sketching objects 



