Homer W. Smith
Homer W. Smith was a prominent American physiologist and author, recognized for his significant contributions to the field of physiology, particularly in kidney research. He spent thirty-four years at New York University Medical School, eventually serving as the chairman of its Department of Physiology. In addition to his academic pursuits, Smith wrote two novels that garnered attention for their unique themes and narrative styles. His first novel, *Kamongo*, features a naturalist's vivid storytelling about the African lungfish and includes deep philosophical discussions on skepticism and faith. His second novel, *The End of Illusion*, explores the concept of freedom and its inherent illusions through the journey of a young man in Malaya. Smith also authored influential non-fiction works, including *Man and His Gods*, which critiques religion and advocates for a self-reliant approach to fulfillment, and *From Fish to Philosopher*, an exploration of human evolution with a focus on adaptability. His writing is noted for its engaging prose, making complex scientific subjects accessible and interesting to general readers.
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Homer W. Smith
American novelist and physiologist
- Born: January 2, 1895
- Birthplace: Denver, Colorado
- Died: March 25, 1962
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
For thirty-four years Homer W. Smith was associated with the New York University Medical School, both in teaching and administrative capacities, and he served as chairman of its Department of Physiology. He had an eminent career as a physiologist, and his major work on the kidney is regarded as an important contribution to the literature on that subject.
He wrote two novels. The second, The End of Illusion, which many critics considered rather contrived—even mechanical—in its formulations of plot and ideas, deals with a young man who goes to Malaya to enjoy complete freedom and discovers that the freedom he seeks is nothing but an illusion. The first novel, Kamongo, is more successful in its handling of theme. It has a slender story line; its chief interest lies in the detailed account by an American naturalist to an Anglican priest—as they journey homeward on a French steamer through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal—of his capture of the African lungfish, a relic of the Devonian Age when it unsuccessfully sought to sustain itself on land. The naturalist’s narrative, graphic and vivid in the telling, forms only a section of the novel; the remaining portion is the long debate between the two men on various issues of skepticism and faith, with Joel, the scientist, triumphantly demolishing the beliefs of the priest.
The novel, though without formal plot, contains excellent descriptive passages, and Smith’s style, even when it deals with scientific matters that generally are of interest only to the specialist, is always lively and colorful. Upon its initial publication, Kamongo attracted wide popular attention and was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club in 1932. In 1935 Alexander Woollcott included it in one of his anthologies of current literary favorites, and in 1950, eighteen years after publication, it was a Natural HistoryBook Club choice for its readers.
Two other works by Smith are worthy of notice. Man and His Gods is a vigorous discussion of religion, in which the author, after examining its origin in myth and superstition, decides that human beings’ sense of scientific truth cannot permit them to embrace a belief in supernatural authority. They must find within their own resources the will to bring about “fulfillment.” The book has been compared to Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1890-1915) and has been praised as a suitable condensation of that multivolume study. From Fish to Philosopher is an original examination of human beings’ origin and physical development, told largely in terms of the kidney’s growing adaptability to varying qualities of environment. Both books are characterized by engaging, at times brilliant, prose; not the least of Smith’s virtues as a writer is his ability to maintain the interest of his readers.
Bibliography
Bing, Richard J. “Recollections of an Eyewitness.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 39, no. 2 (Winter, 1996). Discusses the signs of creativity in artists and scientists, among them Homer Smith, Charles Lindbergh, and the surgeon Alfred Blalock.
Chasis, Herbert, and William Goldring, eds. Homer William Smith: His Scientific and Literary Achievements. New York: New York University Press, 1965.
Pitts, R. F. “Homer William Smith.” National Academy of Sciences, Biographical Memoirs 39 (1967).