Robert Eglesfeld Griffith, physician, botanist, educator, was born in Philadelphia on 13 Feb. 1798, the son of Robert Eglesfeld and Maria Thong Griffith. He graduated with an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1820 and set up practice in Philadelphia, where he eventually served as physician to the Board of Health from 1833-1836. In 1831 he founded and edited the Journal of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy until 1836. He held academic positions at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the University of Maryland, and the University of Virginia. Griffith authored texts on medical botany, materia medica, and medical jurisprudence. He also devoted his time to researching conches and became a renowned conchologist. Griffith was active in a number of professional and scientific societies including the Franklin Institute, the American Philosophical Society, and the Academy of Natural Sciences, where he served as vice-president in 1849. He was elected a Fellow of the College of Physicians in 1836. In 1829 Griffith married Mary Eyre of Philadelphia. Griffith died on 26 June 1850.
From the description of Notes on the lectures of Nathaniel Chapman, M.D., Professor of the Institutes and Practice of Physic and Clinical Practice in the University of Pennsylvania, 1818-1820 [i.e., 1818]/ [recorded by] R.E. Griffith, Jr. (College of Physicians of Philadelphia). WorldCat record id: 122540957
