The Young Doctor
John Stith Pemberton was born in Knoxville, Georgia, on July 8th, 1831. Most of his childhood was spent in Rome, Georgia and his family lived there for nearly three decades. Pemberton attended the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon, where he studied medicine and pharmacy. Dr. Pemberton was just 19 years old when he earned his medical degree. His specialty was chemistry.
He had a license to practice Thomsanian (or botanic) philosophies. This field is focused on helping patients by using organic, herbal remedies. This niche of medicine came with strong speculations and wasn’t respected at the time. He originally started practicing medicine and surgery, but then Dr. Pemberton opened up his own pharmacy in Columbus.