He was born in South Shields on 2 November 1815 to Catherine and William Glover, a merchant. In 1829 he was apprenticed to Thomas J. Aitken TRCSE of 31 Nicolson Street in Edinburgh.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1829-30 He began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh the following year, and was clerked to Prof James Syme at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In 1834 he travelled to Geneva in Switzerland to study under Prof Lombard. In 1835 he was elected a member of the Medical Society of Edinburgh. In 1837 he received his licence to practice medicine and travelled to Paris, founding the Paris Medical Society the following year and serving as its first Vice President.
