Page:A History of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania.djvu/123

 that acumen in perception of proportion, color, harmony of design, and of obscure differences in the objects of the vegetable world, which alone belong to the eye of the painter.” That his bias towards Botany took a practical turn, we are assured by the fact that “young as he was at the time, he obtained from the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh an honorary premium for his dissertation on Hyoscyamus Niger, of Linnæus. It was the Harveian prize.”

In London, during the summer of 1787, when at the age of twenty-two years, he published a little tract, entitled, “Observations on some parts of Natural History,” to which is prefixed an account of remarkable vestiges of an ancient date, which had been discovered in North America.

While residing in the metropolis of England, he was treated with distinguished consideration by Dr. Hunter and Dr. Letsom, having attracted attention by his general scientific proclivities. He was at this time elected a member of the American Philosophical Society. The minute of his election reads thus: “Jan. 16, 1789, Benjamin Smith Barton, M. D., at present in Edinburgh, corresponding member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, late of the University of Pa., was elected a member.”

When the College resumed its functions in 1789, Dr. Barton, then twenty-four years of age, was chosen the Professor of Natural History and Botany. As has been shown, Botany had been taught by Dr. Kuhn in 1768, and the subject had been considered of sufficient importance to be appended to the Chair of Materia Medica. When, in the new order of things, the two institutions were exercising separately their functions, and Dr. Kuhn had assumed the duties of Practice in the University, the professorship mentioned was created in the College, apparently for the purpose of securing the talents of Dr. Barton. This he retained under the union of the two Faculties, and accordingly we find his name thus appended in the list of Professors of the University in 1792.

The opinion that the natural sciences were important in a scheme of medical instruction may be observed to have constantly influenced the actions of the Board of Trustees, whether of the College or of the University; for we find that although