He was born at Havana, Cuba, where his father was an appointee of the British Government working on the abolition of the slave trade, according to the terms of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.
[1] Madden began his medical studies in Dublin, but after qualification bad health forced him to recuperate abroad.
[2] In 1871 he organized an Irish ambulance service for the French side in the Franco-Prussian War.
[2] He wrote a large number of books on medical topics, dealing principally with obstetrics.
[citation needed] In 1901 he was seriously injured in a sailing accident, and died the following year at his house in County Wicklow.