American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson

American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson chronicles the remarkable life and achievements of one of America's earliest and most influential naturalists: Dr. David Hosack. A creature of the Age of Enlightenment, Hosack combined medical practice, plant and animal science, and agricultural cultivation in ways that made him an icon of the early American republic.

In a vivid and detailed narrative, Victoria Johnson paints a portrait of a unique Renaissance man whose contributions to early American society were much greater than his own time—or our own—realized. David Hosack's medical career began with schooling at the University of Pennsylvania and work as surgeon in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. In his forties, he combined his medical training with a passion for botany, founding the Elgin Botanical Garden in 1801 and New York's first public botanical garden near Columbia College, now the site of Rockefeller Apartments.

Hosack's botany endeavors expanded on the work of the European scientists and botanists, who had long studied plants and hypothesized on their taxonomy. Hosack, however, was able to fill in the gaps in knowledge that existed and work to create a full-fledged American system of plant classification and taxonomy. Through his efforts, he was able to create a series of catalogs and guides to classify different types of vegetation and advise on their care. Moreover, he was able to bring botany to the masses, opening his garden for educational lessons, lectures, and field trips.

Hosack's botanical and medical contributions to early American society were highly influential. Through his medical practice, he was able to extend medical care and assistance to those who would otherwise not have access to it. He treated the sick and poor of New York City for free, and made herbal remedies for distribution around the city. He also advocated for better public health policies and was actively involved in founding the New York State Medical Society in 1807.

Hosack further extended his contributions to early USA by establishing a medical college. After seeing the need for a stronger medical system in the USA, he helped found the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1807. Along with providing a rigorous curriculum and teaching staff, the school served as a model for future medical schools. Furthermore, he allowed the college to operate both as a teaching institution and hospital, until its merger with Columbia in 1889.

Through Johnson's groundbreaking research, American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic provides valuable insight into the achievements of one of America's earliest innovators. By chronicling Hosack's role in revolutionizing American medicine and botany, Johnson brings to light the relatively unknown contributions that Hosack made to an evolving young republic. This work is an essential work of historical non-fiction that anyone interested in the history of science and American revolutionary thought should not miss.