Samuel Smith, M.D.: first American professor of psychiatry

In 1847 Samuel M. Smith, M.D., was appointed professor of medical jurisprudence and insanity at the Willoughby Medical College of Columbus, Ohio, making him the first person to chair a department of psychiatry at an American medical school. Using materials from newspaper reports, records of the medical school and state medical society, and other sources, the author presents a biographical sketch of this pioneer educator. Dr. Smith received his first practical experience in psychiatry as an assistant to William M. Awl, M.D., one of the 13 founders of the American Psychiatric Association. Over the course of his career, he held many prominent positions, including lecturer and dean at the medical school, president of the Ohio State Medical Society, and surgeon general of Ohio during the Civil War.