120 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



as the common schools of the vicinity could furnish. But 

 the youth tliirsted for knowledge, and soon hecame a 

 teacher, daily acquiring for himself and imparting to others 

 such store of information as was at his command. While 

 thus engaged, his thoughts were turned to the medical 

 profession, and he became a pupil of Dr. William A. Todd, 

 of Downingtown, in the same county ; and afterwards, in 

 the winter of 1802-3, attended his first course of medical 

 lectures at the University of Pennsylvania. Here he 

 formed the acquaintance and secured the intimate friend- 

 ship of Dr. William Darlington, who, while suffering from 

 a severe attack of illness, received from young Baldwin 

 assiduous kindness and attention, which he never forgot. 

 After his first course of lectures at Philadelphia he resumed 

 his studies with Dr. Todd, at Downingtown, and here he 

 became acquainted with Dr. jNIoses INIarshall, nephew of 

 Humphry Marshall, the well-known author of '" Arbustum 

 Americanum," and founder of a botanic garden at Mar- 

 shallton. The nephew also had some botanical knowledge, 

 and had been of material service to his uncle, both in the 

 establishment of his garden, and in the preparation of his 

 work on " American Forest Trees and Shrubs." Dr. 

 Marshall seems to have first awakened Baldwin's taste for 

 the study of the vegetable creation ; and the rich collection 

 of indigenous plants in the Marshallton garden served to 

 strengthen this taste, which soon deepened into zeal under the 

 instruction of Dr. Benjamin Smith Barton, of Philadelphia. 

 In 1805 Baldwin received the appointment of surgeon 

 on a merchant ship bound to Canton. Returning from 

 China in 1806, he resumed the medical course at the 

 University of Pennsylvania, and on the 10th of April, 1807, 

 he received the degree of ^I. D. He selected Wilmington, 



