Smith, Nathan

Smith, Nathan (1762–1829) physician, surgeon, medical educator; born in Rehoboth, Mass. After serving as an apprentice to physicians in Vermont, he began practicing medicine in Cornish, N.H., but, realizing his lack of knowledge, he pursued studies at Harvard (1789–90) and then in Europe (1796–97). Back in Cornish with a flourishing practice, he persuaded nearby Dartmouth College to teach medicine and in 1798 he became the medical school's first professor. When the state legislature failed to support his efforts, he went to Yale in 1813 as its first professor of anatomy, surgery, and obstetrics. He was one of the most advanced American physicians of his day both in his surgical techniques and in emphasizing close observation instead of traditional theory. His most important writing was Practical Essay on Typhous Fever (1824).