During part of the Civil War he served as surgeon of the Fifty-fifth (Negro) Massachusetts Infantry. From 1867 to his retirement in 1910 he was professor of neurology and vertebrate zoölogy at Cornell.
During some time of the Civil War, he worked as a surgeon for the Fifty-fifth (Negro) Massachusetts Infantry. From 1867 to 1910, he was an instructor at Cornell University, teaching neurology and vertebrate zoology.