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

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Victoria Johnson (Hunter College)

American Eden

David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic

Victoria Johnson (Hunter College)

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English

Liveright Publishing Corporation
28 June 2019

Biography: science, technology & engineering; General & world history; History of science; Botany & plant sciences; Horticulture

The untold story of Hamilton's—and Burr's—personal physician, whose dream to build America's first botanical garden inspired the young Republic On a clear morning in July 1804, Alexander Hamilton stepped onto a boat at the edge of the Hudson River. He was bound for a New Jersey dueling ground to settle his bitter dispute with Aaron Burr. Hamilton took just two men with him: his ""second"" for the duel, and Dr. David Hosack.

As historian Victoria Johnson reveals in her groundbreaking biography, Hosack was one of the few points the duelists did agree on. Summoned that morning because of his role as the beloved Hamilton family doctor, he was also a close friend of Burr. A brilliant surgeon and a world-class botanist, Hosack¯who until now has been lost in the fog of history—was a pioneering thinker who shaped a young nation.

Born in New York City, he was educated in Europe and returned to America inspired by his newfound knowledge. He assembled a plant collection so spectacular and diverse that it amazes botanists today, conducted some of the first pharmaceutical research in the United States, and introduced new surgeries to American. His tireless work championing public health and science earned him national fame and praise from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander von Humboldt, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

One goal drove Hosack above all others: to build the Republic’s first botanical garden. Despite innumerable obstacles and near-constant resistance, Hosack triumphed when, by 1810, his Elgin Botanic Garden at last crowned twenty acres of Manhattan farmland. ""Where others saw real estate and power, Hosack saw the landscape as a pharmacopoeia able to bring medicine into the modern age"" (Eric W. Sanderson, author of Mannahatta). Today what remains of America’s first botanical garden lies in the heart of midtown, buried beneath Rockefeller Center.

Whether collecting specimens along the banks of the Hudson River, lecturing before a class of rapt medical students, or breaking the fever of a young Philip Hamilton, David Hosack was an American visionary who has been too long forgotten. Alongside other towering figures of the post-Revolutionary generation, he took the reins of a nation. In unearthing the dramatic story of his life, Johnson offers a lush depiction of the man who gave a new voice to the powers and perils of nature. 16 pages of black and white illustrations

By: Victoria Johnson (Hunter College)
Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 211mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 393g
ISBN: 9781631496011
ISBN 10: 1631496018
Pages: 480
Publication Date: 28 June 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Victoria Johnson, a former Cullman Fellow, is currently an associate professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College (City University of New York), where she teaches on the history of nonprofits, philanthropy, and New York City.

Reviews for American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic

""Victoria Johnson follows Hosack’s life and legacy through a range of detail and social context which answers all the answerable questions. It is 54 years since Hosack was the subject of a full biography. Johnson has added some more details, written in a lively way and has related him to other prominent people of his lifetime."" -- Financial Times ""American Eden’s many glimpses of the swamps, meadows, fields and flora lying beneath the city, meticulously mapped, are among its greatest pleasures."" -- Times Literary Supplement ""... Victoria Johnson’s fine science biography... A rich and compelling read."" -- Nature ""American Eden will not disappoint.... In her ambitious and entertaining book Johnson connects past to present."" -- Marta McDowell - The New York Times Book Review ""“[A] captivating biography…"" -- Penelope Rowlands - The Wall Street Journal