New-York tribune., 1922-08-27

to 1850 editor Of "The New York
Journal Of Medicine and from 1860 20
1864 editor ~ aThe New York Medical
Times" ha also wrote B number Of
Important books. including IA Hand
beck of Surgical Operations nprin-
cipies OF Operative Surgery, "'The
Doctor In Medicine" *The City That
Was" an account Of early aand unsani~
sary times in New York, and Who lis
Insane ?nss
During the Civil War he placed his
services at the call of the national
government, and frequently went to
the front when the casualties OF some
great battle called for temporary in
crease of the force OF army surgeons
What may Justly be esteemed the
chief work of his life began in 1854.
At that time typhus fever was raging
in this city, smallpox was epidemic,
and no attempt was made at segrega-
tion or quarantine. A great public up-
rising for health occurred, and Citi-
zens' Association was formed, of
which Peter Cooper was president.
This body created n council of hy-
giene, divided the city into thirty-o one
districts and engaged physicians to
make thorough investigation of sani-
tary or unsanitary conditions. OF
this council DIR. Smith was the lead
ing spirit. The repors which he and
his associates made of the condition
of tcnements and of the streets and
lievabIc. There were 4e5,592 persons
living in tenements or cellars, at an
average density of 247,000 to the
square mile. Scattered among these
tenements were 173 slaughter houses,
under no sanitary supervision what
ever. More than FIVE hundred places were
designated by the inspectors as
plague spots one of them being
Washington Market and another
Castle Garden. In two days the in
spectors found 64f and in two weeks
more than 1900 fcases of smallpox,
with not the slightest attempt at ,se.
clusion of the patients.
Confronted by this condition of af-
fairs. the Citizens Association directed
DR.. Smith as physician and Dorman
b. Eaton as lawyer to draft law
creating metropolitan Department Of
Health, on basis similar to the Police
Department. With that draft DR.. Smith
went TO Albany in 1855 to appeal to the
Legislature, taking along with him
eighteen big octave volumes containing
the report of the Council of Hygiene
upon the sanitary state of the city.
Andrew D. White, then q State Sena-
tor, was chairman Of Joint committee
of the two houses before which hear
ing was held DR.. Smith presented the
case with such effectiveness that the
committee declared that if the Legis-
lature were at that time in session the
bill would certainly be passed at once.
But it was not in session, and the fact
gave the "old gang" of inspectors"
who did not inspect an opportunity to
get busy in defense of their Jobs. So
when the Legislature did meet the bill
was rejected. Then DR.. Smith and his
associates appealed to the people of
the state to elect Legislature that
would pass it. The result was that
seventeen Assemblymen who had op-
posed the bill were LETT at home and
the new Legislature, In March, 1856,
promptly enacted the bill.
It then fell to DIR. Smith to admin
lister the law. Governor Fenton, in
1868, appointed him Commissioner of
the Metropolitan Board Of Health, and
in 1870 Mayor Hall appointed him Com
missioner of the New York Board of
Health, to which place he was reap
pointed two years later by Mayor Have
meyer. When the National Board of
Health was organized, in 1879, Presi-
dent Hayes made him one Of Its first
members. DR.. Smith, in 1880. drafted
and secured the passage of the bill
creating the New York State Board of
Health; in 1891 Governor Cornell ap-
pointed him member Of the State