Seth MacCuen Smith (1863-1929) was born on March 6, 1863 in Holidaysburg, PA. He graduated from Holidaysburg Academy before enrolling in Jefferson Medical College. In 1884, he earned his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College and subsequently became a resident ear, nose, and throat specialist at the Germantown Hospital. He began a private practice in 1885.
In 1886, Smith became the Clinical Chief of Otology at Jefferson Hospital. During his medical career, he also served on the staffs of the American Oncologic Hospital, the Memorial Hospital, and the Jewish Hospital. Smith was appointed Clinical Professor of Otology at Jefferson in 1894 and Full Professor in charge of the Department in 1904. During World War I, Smith served in the Major in the Medical Reserve Corps, where he treated soldiers whose throats had been damaged by poison gas inhalation.
Smith wrote extensively on diseases of the ear. His work included a chapter in Harris System of Practical Therapeutics, along with numerous journal articles. He also edited the English language edition of the Atlas of Otology. He was a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology; the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society; the American Otological Society (serving as President in 1916); and the American College of Surgeons.
Smith married Virginia Allen, with whom he had three children. He died from chronic myocarditis on September 14, 1929, at the age of 66. In his will, he bequeathed his personal library of 1,000 volumes to Jefferson Medical College.
I. Biography (n.d.)
II. Addresses (1916-1924)
III. Publications (1885-1925)
IV. Events and Ephemera (1928)
V. Pictorial (1902-1928)
VI. Necrology (1930)
Seth MacCuen Smith Papers, MS-073. Thomas Jefferson University - Archives and Special Collections.
Seth MacCuen Smith Papers, MS-073. Thomas Jefferson University - Archives and Special Collections. http://aisrmedia1.jefferson.edu:81/repositories/2/resources/49 Accessed May 14, 2024.