50 SOME AMERICAN MEDICAL BOTANISTS 



Latin grammar. Next I applied to a neighbor- 

 ing schoolmaster, who in three months taught me 

 Latin enough to understand Linnaeus, which I 

 purchased afterwards. Then I began to botanize 

 all over my farm. In a little time I became ac- 

 quainted with every vegetable that grew in the 



neighborhood By steady application of 



several years I acquired a pretty general knowl- 

 edge of every plant and tree to be found on our 

 continent. In process of time I was applied to 

 from the old countries, whither I every year send 

 many collections." 



So wrote America's earliest botanist and the 

 founder of her first botanical garden. 



He was born on the 23d of March, 1699, in 

 Derby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, son of 

 William and Elizabeth Hunt Bartram, descend- 

 ants of Richard Bartram of Derby, England, 

 whose son, grandfather of our botanist, came over 

 to Pennsylvania in 1682. 



The inheritance, from an uncle, of a farm in 

 Derby placed him a little above those petty cares 

 which fret the heart of a scientist, and as he had 

 an early inclination to medicine he acquired so 

 much knowledge as to be useful to sick neighbors 

 who were unable to get to Philadelphia. Prob- 

 ably most of his remedies were herbal, from 

 plants gathered by himself, but he was able to 

 prepare the notes and appendix to the American 



