, ▁a ▁course ▁which ▁at ▁that ▁time ▁was ▁veh ement ly ▁object ed ▁to ▁by ▁the ▁profession ▁at ▁large . ▁ ▁In ▁other ▁respect s , ▁too , ▁he ▁was ▁aj ud ic inus ▁innov ator , ▁being ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁disc ard ▁the ▁black ▁coat , ▁white ▁neck cl oth , ▁kne eb ree ches , ▁and ▁black ▁sil k ▁stock ings , ▁for ▁the ▁ordinary ▁cost ume ▁of ▁the ▁day . ▁ ▁This ▁was ▁then ▁a ▁blue ▁coat ▁with ▁br ass ▁buttons , ▁and ▁yellow ▁wa ist co at , ▁which ▁he ▁continued ▁to ▁wear ▁to ▁the ▁last ▁; ▁and ▁thus ▁by ▁out l iving ▁the ▁fashion , ▁as ▁he ▁had ▁forest alled ▁it , ▁he ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁as ▁well ▁known ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 0 ▁as ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 0 . ▁Bo ott ▁was ▁elected ▁an ▁Associ ate ▁Fellow ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Academy ▁of ▁Arts ▁and ▁Sciences ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 5 . ▁ ▁He ▁retired ▁from ▁practice , ▁and ▁devoted ▁himself ▁for ▁the ▁last ▁thirty - five ▁years ▁of ▁his ▁life ▁to ▁the ▁cultiv ation ▁of ▁his ▁literary , ▁classical , ▁and ▁scientific ▁t ast es . ▁He ▁retained ▁his ▁interest ▁in ▁medicine , ▁however , ▁and ▁wrote ▁to ▁The ▁Lanc et ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 6 ▁when ▁he ▁heard ▁from ▁his ▁friend ▁Jacob ▁Big el ow ▁about ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁ ether ▁as ▁an ▁an a est h etic ▁in ▁America . ▁The ▁first ▁use ▁of ▁