William Alexander Hamilton was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1828 and received his M.D. from the University of the City of New York in 1848. He spent a year working at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia before moving to Saco, Maine, to establish a medical practice. Within a few months he abandoned his practice and joined the army as an assistant surgeon. He held the position for a decade, serving on army posts in the Southwest, Florida, Michigan, and Kansas. He also spent some time in Europe, studying the medical organization and services of armies there. During his travels Hammond conducted botanical and physiological investigations. He published books on his findings, some of which were reprinted in England and translated into German and French. His Experimental Researches Relative to the Nutritive Value and Physiological Effects of Albumen, Starch, and Gum, when Singly...