Biography

Dr. Henry Foster became a physician after graduating with a medical degree from the Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH in 1848. His education was in allopathy, but over time he became more and more interested in homeopathy and hydrotherapy. He practiced in Clifton Springs, NY, where Frances Adeline Seward's friend Sarah How, Jr. went for consultation (see Frances A. Seward's August 2, 1863 letter). Dr. Foster is known for establishing a Sanatorium in Clifton Springs, which people traveled from great distance to visit. He claimed a divine visitation of some kind convinced him to establish himself in Clifton Springs, rather than taking other lucrative positions he had been offered, and the power of prayer was a key part of the Sanatorium - evident in the chapel that was constructed as part of it.