Dr. Barton was one of the original professors of the Medical College of Louisiana, the progenitor of Tulane University.

A prolific writer, Dr. Barton was an early advocate of public health and sanitation in New Orleans. Of particular note is his report of the Sanitary Commission in the wake of the 1853 yellow fever epidemic. In it, Dr. Barton associated the fever with the abundance of mosquitoes in the city.