He studied medicine at the University of Berlin under eminent physiologist Johannes Peter Muller, and also at University College London and the University of Edinburgh, where he received his doctorate in 1841. In 1847, he settled in London, England.
As a medical student, he spent time at the University of Berlin under the tutelage of prominent physiologist Johannes Peter Muller, and also studied at University College London and the University of Edinburgh, earning his doctorate in 1841. He then made London, England his home in 1847.