The legendary Smiths and their Paris hospital

The Paris Hospital in Paris, Arkansas, provided high quality care during its existence from 1910 to 1971, offering a prepaid health care plan from 1920 to 1971. Three generations of Smith doctors were its nucleus, subsidizing the annual losses of the hospital and providing care to all, regardless of ability to pay. The hospital was a community unto itself for the nurses who lived, trained, and worked there. A unique family in the history of medicine in Arkansas, the Smith physicians were well trained, altruistic, compassionate, and conscientious, exemplifying the traditional values of twentieth century medical practice.