The  early  life  of  his  son  Othniel  was  occu-
pied mainly  in  attendance  upon  schools  of
elementary  instruction  in  Philadelphia  and
Holmesburg,  Pa.,  and  in  Baskenridge,  N.  J.
In  1818  he  entered  the  Literary  Department
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in
1820  he  became  a  medical  student  in  the  of-
fice of  that  distinguished  physician  and  sur-
geon, Thomas  T.  Hewson,  M.D.,  at  the  same
time  attending  a  course  of  medical  instruction
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  com-
pleted his  studies  there  in  1826  and  grad-
uated with  the  class  of  that  year.  After  his
graduation,  Dr.  Taylor  entered  upon  the
practice  of  medicine  in  the  city  of  Philadel-
phia, where  he  was  very  soon  appointed  one
of  the  physicians  to  the  City  Dispensary,  in
which  capacity  he  served  many  years,  and
about  the  same  time  he  was  elected  out-door
physician    to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  a


position  he  held  for  eight  years.  During  the
year  1832  the  Asiatic  cholera  made  its  first
appearance  in  this  continent,  and  Dr.  Taylor
distinguished  himself  by  volunteering  to
serve  in  the  city  hospitals  which  were  estab-
lished in  the  emergency  by  the  municipal  au-
thorities, while  he  was  at  the  same  time  act-
ing as  one  of  the  Committee  of  Physicians
appointed  by  the  City  Councils  as  consulting
physicians  to  their  sanitary  board.
