New York University School of Medicine - Medical Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 9 text:

aura of frusfworfhiness, fhaf qualify of sfaunchness and securify, which draws fhe faifh of infanfs and ofher dumb animals. And he gradually found more and more of his fime encroached on by anxious mofhers fo whom fall, earnesf Docfor Smifh seemed fhe safesf guardian of fheir youngsfers' well-being. As he himself pufs if more and more children came fo me, and l was simply forced info Pediafrics. Bul- aside from fhaf, if is a much more inferesfing field fhan any ofher, 'rhe resulfs are more specfacular, and whal' is more imporfanf, children have none of fhe imaginary 'rroubles of fhe adulf. When you add fo fhaf fhe facf fhaf fhey pracfically never die, you have fhe perfecf specialfy. The frue Specialisfl He became in fhis manner definifely commiffed fo Pediafrics. And his acfivifies bofh in medical feaching and medical pracfice flowed synchronously info fhis groove. He was Chief of C-hildren's Clinic af S+. Luke's in I9I l, and had fhe same posf af fhe Vanderbilf Clinic fwo years lafer. ln fhe Deparfmenf of Diseases of Children af fhe College of Physicians and Surgeons Dr. Smifh was Assisfanf in l9l2, and Associafe in l9l3. In I92l he had become Professor of Clinical Pediafrics in fhe same de- parfmenf. He had in fhe meanfime joined The sfaff of Bellevue Hospifal in l9l6 as Assisfanf Visfing Physician and Chief of O.P.D. of fhe Children's Medical Service. ln his firsf year af Bellevue, Dr. Smifh puf info being rhe firsf Nufrifion and Cardiac Classes for children. lf was under him fhaf The class mefhod of freafing diseases in groups was firsl' affempfed. And here he made evidenf his rare falenfs fon simplificafion, for coor- dinafion. for making available from a hodge-podge of scaffered facilifies a unified and useful essence. Af Bellevue in fhose days fhe casfe sysfem sfill prevailed in fhe relafion of Ward Physician and Dispensary Physician, and 'rhe fwo sysfems were complefely divorced enfifies. The fwo sfaffs were like fhe proverbial blind sages, each limifed forever fo one parf of fhe elephanf. Oul' of fhis, Dr. Smifh organized fhe firsf unil' service in New York, wifh all members of fhe sfaff working in bofh OPD and Wards. The advanfages of fhe innovafion were sufficienfly apparenf for fhe arrangemenl' fo be copied in every hospifal in fhe cify. A monumenfal achievemenl' I8 years ago, if has served ever since fo mobilize in serviceable form fhe vasf feaching facilifies of a large hospifal. ln l92l Dr. Smifh became Visifing Physician fo fhe Children's Medical Service af Bellevue- He found himself emerging ahead of fhe field, on 'rhe high road fo acknowledged leadership in his specialfy. Honors and high places were coming fo him, new rewards-and new responsibilifies. By i926 he was full Clinical Professor in fhe Deparfmenf of Diseases of Children af Ph sicians and Surgeons: he became Direcfor of fhe Children's Medical Service af Bellevue: he was Visifing Pediafrician af fhe Sloane Hospifal for Women, and soon affer, Visifing Physician af Babies' Hospifal. He became Consulfing Pediafrician fo Nassau Counfy Hospifal, Flushing Hospifal, Englewood Hospifal, New York Infirmary for Women and Children, and many ofher insfifufions, and in l93O he was offered fhe Chair of Pediafrics by New York Universify and came fo feach af Bellevue. A measure of arrogance and pomp is so offen a concommiffanf of achievemenf, fhaf simplicify and warm-hearfedness places an especial disfincfion on a man of eminence. We came in our fhird year fo a lecfure in Pediafrics and mef charm, ln fhe overwhelming burdens of a massive curriculum, fhe hours wifh Dr. Smifh are earnesfness, uffer lack of self-imporfance, fun blended wifh inspiring compefence. a brighf inferlude where acfual healing is broughf fempfingly near, where we draw new courage and sfrengfh, and grow lighf-hearfed. He is nol' Dr. Smifh, and nof Smifh: he is Charles Hendee, Teacher and Personalify, who imparfs fo his school his own qualify and so makes Alma Mafer a cherished and nosfalgic memory in years fo come . . .

Page 8 text:

CHARLES HENDEE SMITH The days fhaf mark major changes in our individual worlds-our beginnings and culminafions-have a sfrong and lasfing hold on memory. A Wednesday in Sep- fember of l93O when, filled wifh hope and apprehension. we gafhered in Carnegie Hall 'ro become fhe class of I934-fhis Wednesday had fhe momenfousness of new deparfure and was one such day. There was a peculiar elafipn abouf us as we chose sears and surveyed new faces and surroundings-a suppressed anficipafion fhaf wanfed fhe meaningless formalifies of fhe nexf hour done wifh. fhe sooner fo meel' fhe fesf awaifing us. The formal welcome was momenfary--and fhere arose fo address us fhe main speaker-himself a newcomer fo fhe faculfy-Dr. Charles Hendee Smifh. Snow-whife hair. young eyes, fafherly wisdom coafed in gay banfer . . . Af odd momenfs fhrough fhe pasl' four years fhere have flashed fo fhe surface bifs from fhis wholly informal, personal, and comradely +alking-l'o- The Presidency of a Neuras- fhenic Sociefy seemed less of a joke and much more affainable before fhe anafomy exams. Thaf firsf hand advice on medical sfudenf hygiene we came fo rediscover fime affer fime as indispensable. as marvelously apf. This man who had arrived and had every righf fo exhorf us fo ambifion and righfeousness, had, however, fhe rare faculfy of remembering his youfh--and remembering, fhe words fo hearfen fhe fledglings before him, fo warm 'ro fhem, fo warn fhem abouf fhe dark corners and sfumbling-places ahead. For Dr. Charles Hendee Smifh, whife-haired and Professor of Pediafrics, had once been a medical sfudenf. William J. Bryan was running for Presidenf-, Roosevell' was riding up San Juan Hill, and one Charles H. Smifh was sfudying fo be a docfor af Columbia Universify. Behind him were boyhood and adolescence, and The long school years af Elemenfary and High School fhaf weave fhemselves so infimafely info fhe web of our early lives. He had come Easf from his nafive Milwaukee fo enfer Cornell Universify. Four years lafer, a Bachelor of Science and fwenfy-one, he had already discovered whaf he wanfed-and enferecl fhe College of Physicians and Surgeons in l897 fo become a docfor. To people who can look back fo fhe lasf of fhe '90's, fhe world of I934 musf seem as one creafed anew. Bul' fhe life of medical sfudenfs-fhe monkish life walled away from oufer affairs-from polifics, from world problems, from fhe cares of making a living-fhen preffy much whaf if is now. The scope of fhe curriculum was less wide, buf fo one young man who made medicine a labor of love, if was a full fime iob. fhen as now. The firsf fwo ears of Dr. Smifh as docfor 'he spenf inferning af Presbyferian Hospifal. And fhen he sfarfed in as a general prac'rifioner. All fhaf fhere is in fhis simple sfafemenl' of courage and folly, of hope and apprehension, of prayer and fhe girding of loins! lf was I903 and Dr- C. H. Smifh sfarfed in as a general pracfifioner. He married Grace E. Wales of Binghamfon, N. Y., and so became a solid cifizen. Bul' for him school was nol' yef ouf. He joined fhe 'reaching sfaff of his Alma Mafer as lnsfrucfor in Anafomy and Hisfology, and in fhe same year became associafed wifh fhe Vanderbilf Clinic as Assisfanf in Medicine and Children's Dis- eases. And so, inconspicuously, he was launched upon fhe career of physician and feacher which has grown consfanfly. sfeadfasfly, in significance and scope in fhe pasf 'rhree decades. The firsf years in general pracfice broughf growfh and knowledge in confidence and power. and in recognifion. The capacify fo observe, fhe courage fo draw logical conclusions-whafever if is fhaf sefs aparf fhe frue invesfigafor as a being rare and disfincf from fhe hosf of drones-fhese became more and more evidenf in his pracfice and in fhe mulfiplying confribufions fo medical liferafure. He had abouf him fhal'

Page 10 text:

,If ,v,, X , .-,, -x . 'wa 'N 1. N . ,Z -ii, .x 1 ,SW ,w.,.:si,.., .M - :im . , 'Y'Q'?'!i' , , ,,.A .iw 1 mmf .X xr' . Qsgggli ef Wg Vwflfmfty wi -Vw-M ,M wg, ,2 'K rs . f 5' I 4 wg: . f 4