Walter George Smith MD, FRCPI was born on the 3rd of June 1844 in Dublin. His father is Dr. Aquila Smith, previous King’s Professor of Materia Medica and Pharmacy at Trinity College Dublin. He, like his father, was educated in Trinity College Dublin and graduated in 1867 as First Senior Moderator in Experimental and Natural Sciences. He became a Licentiate of the RCPI in 1865, a Fellow of the college in 1868, and received his MD in 1870. He was a devoted academic. He was a demonstrator of Anatomy in TCD until 1879 and was elected as the sixth King’s Professor of Materia Medica and Pharmacy in 1881 following his father’s resignation. He maintained this position for 39 years until his retirement in 1920. He was a censor at RCPI from the years 1869-70, 1873-74 and 1879-80. He later served as Vice President from 1880-81 and as President from 1892-1895. In addition to this, he also served as President of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland from 1912 to 1915. He was a Physician at the Adelaide Hospital, on Peter Street in Dublin, and later in Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital. He is remembered for his developments in dermatology, having founded a skin clinic in Adelaide Hospital. In the field of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, he authored many books such as “Commentary on the British Pharmacopoeia” (1875), “Incompatibility and Some of Its Lessons” (2nd ed. 1911) and “Lectures on the Clinical Uses of Electricity” (1873). Smith pioneered the use of electricity in medicine and promoted the cautious use of therapeutics. He also had a lifelong interest in chemistry. He developed Smith’s iodine test for bile and wrote on bismuth testing for sugar in urine. Walter George Smith was popular both among his students and patients and was known for his engaging and clear teaching, with common-sense explanations. He is said to have despised pomposity and academic pretension. He worked as an examiner for the Royal Army Medical Corps and Queen’s College in Belfast and declined a knighthood.

Personal Life: He married Anna Cathcart in 1873 and together they had five children. He was survived by his three daughters, but tragically was preceded by his two sons. The family resided in 25 Merrion Square in Dublin. Smith died on the 16th of February 1932 at the age of 88 following a period of illness. His funeral was widely attended, reflecting his respect and popularity.

Walter George Smith MD, FRCPI
Elected 18 October, 1881.