Philip Henry Pye-Smith
Encyclopedia
Philip Henry Pye-Smith was a physician, medical scientist and educator. His interest was physiology, specialising in skin diseases.
He was born in 1839 at Billiter Square, London
, Middlesex
, England
, the son of Ebenezer and Mary Anne Pye-Smith. He was educated at Mill Hill School
and University College London
before pursuing medical career at Guy's Hospital
and University of London
.
In 1894 he married Emily Gertrude Foulger, the daughter of Arthur Foulger and Martha Barclay (founder of Walthamstow Hall
). They had one son, Philip Howson Guy Pye-Smith, born 1896, London.
Pye-Smith died in 1914 and was buried in the family tomb at Abney Park Cemetery
, Stoke Newington.
We regret to have to record the death, on May 23, of Dr. P.H. Pye-Smith, who throughout the greater part of his career was identified with Guy's Hospital
and its Medical School. Dr. Pye-Smith, who was in his 75th year, has been in failing health for some years, but his death was unexpected.
Philip Henry Pye-Smith was the son of Mr. Ebenezer Pye-Smith, F.R.C.S. who had a large practice in Hackney, and the grandson of the Rev. John Pye-Smith
, D.D., F.R.S., a well-known Nonconformist divine. He was educated at Mill Hill School
and then went to University College
, taking the degree of B.A.Lond., with honours in classics, in 1858. He pursued his medical course at Guy's Hospital, entering in 1859. In 1861, at the first examination for the degree of M.B. in the University of London
, he took the exhibition and gold medal in physiology, histology, and comparative anatomy, and honours in anatomy, organic chemistry, and materia medica. In 1861-2 he was dresser to Mr. Bryant and Mr. Birkett, and physician’s reporter to Dr. (and afterwards Sir William) Gull. When he graduated M.B. in 1863 he took the gold medals in medicine and in surgery, first-class honours in obstetric medicine, and honours in forensic medicine. In the following year he graduated M.D., taking the first place and receiving the gold medal of the university.
He then spent some time abroad at the medical schools in Vienna and Berlin, forming what proved to be lasting friendships with Professor Virchow
and others. At this time the assistant lecturers on comparative anatomy at Guy’s were Drs. Pavy
and Moxon, and in October, 1865, he succeeded them as the teacher of comparative anatomy and zoology. These subjects interested him greatly, and he held the post until the year 1875; during this time he reorganized the museum of comparative anatomy and compiled the catalogue. He was eminently suited for this work, and he included in the catalogue many observations on the classification of animals which were of great value to the students. His work brought into contact with zoologists, and he formed friendships with the late Professor Huxley and other eminent naturalists. It is said that at this time Professor Huxley once referred to him as the best educated young man in London. In 1866 the demonstrators of anatomy were Dr. Moxon, Mr. Bankart, and Dr. Hilton Fagge, and on the appointment of Dr. Moxon as assistant physician Dr. Pye-Smith succeeded him as demonstrator of anatomy, an appointment he held for four years.
In 1870, he was appointed medical registrar and in the following year assistant physician. Microscopes were not in use in medical schools in those days, and shortly before this, at the suggestion of Dr. Moxon, Mr. Howse had started a class in histology. Then Dr. Pye-Smith took up the teaching of practical physiology in the school; the course consisted chiefly of histological work; the sections were cut by hand, the tissue being held between two pieces of carrot, and although great manual dexterity was attained by a few, the sections were very clumsy compared with the mechanically-cut sections which were available a few years later.
In 1873 he was appointed lecturer on physiology jointly with Dr. Pavy, and became sole lecturer on the subject in 1877. He held the appointment for seven years. The preparation of his lectures was characterized by great care; elaborate tables were written up on the board, and a very excellent summary of the current views on physiology was put before his students. He had the qualities which were essential for a good lecturer — he spoke deliberately, delivered himself in excellent English, and illustrated is lectures with numerous well-drawn diagrams. At that time the instruction did not include much practical work, and experiments with recording instruments, which were then being bought into use by Professor Michael Foster at Cambridge, were infrequent.
In 1877 he was appointed to the department of skin diseases, which post he held for several years, taking a deep interest in the work. His demonstrations became very popular, for the subject was one which especially lent itself to dogmatic and precise teaching. A long series of students followed his methods with the greatest advantage. He did much to advance the subject by his insistence on the correct use of terminology. He emphasized the importance of applying on a set of terms to the lesions and another set to the etiology
of the diseases, and he did much to modify and improve the chaotic nomenclature which was current at that time. His small book, Introduction to Skin Diseases, marked a distinct advance towards the elucidation of the whole subject. A large portion of his private practice was always connected with this speciality. At this time he lived at Finsbury Square
, and was an active member of the Hunterian Society
. He contribute frequently to the Society’s Proceedings, and he was also a frequent contributor to the Pathological Society, whose Transactions he enriched by some forty papers, dealing with every variety of subject. He became physician to the hospital in 1883 on the death of Dr. Hilton Fagge, whose decease was the first of the closely approximated losses that Guy’s Hospital suffered through the death of brilliant members of its medical staff — namely, Drs. Moxon, Fagge, Carrington, and Wooldridge. Dr. Pye-Smith edited and completed with the assistance of Drs. Wilks and Carrington, Fagge’s great work on the Principles and Practice of Medicine, which had been left unfinished. He himself contributed the articles on cutaneous disease.
He had always been greatly attracted to the history of medicine, and in the second and succeeding editions of the work he added to each chapter short historical disquisitions and notes on the derivation of medical terms, thus enhancing the value of the book. There were four editions of the work, the being published in 1901. This editing entailed a large amount of work, and he also introduced considerable statistical information drawn from the records of Guy’s Hospital concerning those diseases the data of which had not been completed by Dr. Fagge.
In 1894 he succeed Dr. Moxon as Lecturer on Medicine and held the post until he retired under the age rule in 1899. He had then been senior physician since Dr. Pavy’s retirement in 1890, and on his own retirement he was appointed consulting physician to the hospital.
He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
of London in 1870, was an examiner for eight years between 1875 and 1888, and he was a member of the council from 1888 to 1890, and a censor for 1894 to 1899. He delivered the Lumleian lectures
on “The Etiology of Disease” in 1892, and a most scholarly Harveian oration
on “Pathology as the Basis of Rational Medicine” in 1893. He was a representative of the Royal College of Physicians on the Senate of the University of London from 1902 to 1908, and was vice-chancellor from 1903 to 1905. These were the culminating events in a long connexion with the university; he was active Member of Convocation during the important debates which preceded the earlier reform of the university, and was a member of the old standing Committee of Convocation. He represented the University of London on the General Medical Council for two periods from 1899 to 1909.
He was acknowledged authority upon life assurance, having been medical adviser to the Alliance and to the Legal and General Life Assurance offices for over thirty years.
In 1878 he was Vice-President of the Section of Physiology at the annual meeting of the British Medical Association
at Bath, in 1891 President of the Section of Medicine at the annual meeting at Bournemouth, and he gave the address in Medicine on “Medicine as a Science, and Medicine as an Art,” at the annual meeting at Ipswich in 1900.
As will be seen from this summary account, Dr. Pye-Smith accomplished much public work during his long and active career. He received many well-deserved honours from public bodies: he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in Jun, 1886; he received honorary degrees from the Universities of Dublin, Paris, and Berlin, and was Honorary Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. With Sir Herbert Maxwell he represented the British Government at the International Congress on the Prevention of Tuberculosis
in Berlin in 1899.
Throughout life he was a man of many interests, always keeping in touch with fellow workers in the subjects of zoology, physiology, medicine, and medical education. He was extremely methodical and orderly in his habits. He devoted much of his life to the interests of his hospital, invariably attending punctually and devoting a considerable amount of time to his duties. His lectures in medicine, carefully prepared as they were , and illustrated by many tables, proved of great value to his audience. He was an accomplished scholar, with a well-stored mind, and an accurate memory. His library was his great hobby, and he delighted to regale himself with old and favourite authors. He was very proud of his books, and he dearly loved to bring out for admiration of his friends some old volume finely bound and tooled. He was insistent on the superior of old beauties of the old, and had the greatest contempt and severity for anything that savoured of frivolity or inaccuracy. He considered the time devoted to reading the daily newspapers as worse than wasted.
His interest in the history of medical knowledge led him to urge his students to make themselves familiar with the loves and works of men great in the annals of medicine. In the wards he devoted much time to the teaching of systematic and thorough examination of the patients, and dwelt upon the bearing and significance of the various signs. He used to lay great stress on the typical physical signs and symptoms of the various diseases and all those who worked with him were thoroughly trained in the foundations of their profession. In treatment he advised the use of simple prescriptions, and was not in the habit of employing many drugs. He did not fail, however, to impress upon his students the utility of the really valuable preparations, and when he thoughts it was indicated he was always willing to push the use of any particular drug to its maximum.
He was addicted to oracular statements, such as, “Psoriasis is as unlikely to be found on the flexure of a joint as bears are to be found in Africa, while eczema may often leave its proper territory just as marsupials may occur in Virginia.” :It is venial error to overlook a murmur, but a grave one to image one when it does not exist.” “The loudness of a bruit is unimportant, its rhythm and distribution are all-important.” “Gout is almost always podagra, sometimes chiagra, seldom gonagra, and scarcely ever omagra.” “In a doubtful case of dermatitis think firstly of its being caused by an irritant, intentionally or accidentally; secondly, by a drug; thirdly, by a parasite; and lastly, by syphilis.” “Perverse in treatment and push remedies.” “As you practise your auscultation on your own chest and recall your anatomy on your own joints so from your own accidents and illnesses you will learn to sympathize with pain, to bear with impatience, and to put yourself into your patient’s place.”
When delivering a complimentary address, or making an after-dinner speech, he was pre-eminent. He had a happy knack of saying just the right thing in the happiest way, often with a touch of humour, and couched in the most elegant English, while an appropriate simile or quotation gave an indication of his wide culture, Being of a generous and unselfish disposition, the acts of kindness done by him to others were many; these were frequently unknown, because any suggestion of self-seeking, aggressiveness, or advertisement was abhorrent to him. His was a long, useful, and beneficent life, but it was clouded over towards the latter years by ill-health, which practically more or less confined him to the house, and incapacitated him from taking any active part in affairs. He was tenderly cared for by his devoted wife, to whom and to his son the sympathies of all will go out in their loss.
A memorial service was held on Wednesday, May 27, at St. George’s, Hanover Square, and was conducted by Canon Sandys, of Oxford, and the Rev. W. W. Jackson. Beside the family mourners, those present included Sir John Bradford (representing the Royal Society), Dr. Herringham
(University of London), Sir Francis Champneys (Royal Society of Medicine
), Mr Stephen Paget (Research Defence Society), Sir James Fowler, Sir Dyce Duckworth, Dr. H. Tooth, Dr. T. Dyke Acland, Dr. N. Moore, Dr. J. A. Ormerod, and Dr. W. H. White (who also represented Guy’s Hospital), representing the Royal College of Physicians, Lady Bradford, Lady Duckworth, Lady Barlow, Lady Perry, Sir Alfred
and Lady Fripp, Sir James Reid, Sir Bryan Donkin, the Master of the Rolls
, Sir William Osler
, Sir William Church, Mr. Guy Elliston (British Medical Association), the Rev. F. Lenwood (London Missionary Society
), Dr. Little (General Medical Council), and Mr James McGowan (representing the Governors of Mill Hill School). The burial took place later at Abney Park
, Stoke Newington
.
[photograph contained in original article]
He was born in 1839 at Billiter Square, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Ebenezer and Mary Anne Pye-Smith. He was educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
before pursuing medical career at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
and University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
In 1894 he married Emily Gertrude Foulger, the daughter of Arthur Foulger and Martha Barclay (founder of Walthamstow Hall
Walthamstow Hall
-History:Walthamstow Hall was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest all-girl independent schools in the country. It was found as an inter-denominational mission school and home for the daughters of Christian missionaries. It provides an 'all-through' education with a Junior School for girls aged...
). They had one son, Philip Howson Guy Pye-Smith, born 1896, London.
Pye-Smith died in 1914 and was buried in the family tomb at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
, Stoke Newington.
Career highlights
- Elected a Fellow of the Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1870. - Elected a Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1886. - Representative to Senate of the University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
from 1902 to 1908, and was vice-chancellor from 1903 to 1905. - Representative to the General Medical CouncilGeneral Medical CouncilThe General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
from 1899 to 1909. - Presentation of Lumleian lecturesLumleian LecturesThe Lumleian Lectures are a series of annual lectures run by the Royal College of Physicians of London, started in 1582 and now run by the Lumleian Trust. The name commemorates John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, who with Richard Caldwell of the College endowed the lectures, initially confined to...
“The Etiology of Disease” in 1892. - Presentation of Harveian OrationHarveian OrationThe Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feast on St...
“Pathology as the Basis of Rational Medicine” in 1893. - Publication: An Introduction to the study of diseases of the skin in 1893.
- Publication: Revised Principles and practice of medicine by Charles Hilton FaggeCharles Hilton Fagge-Life:Fagge was the son of Charles Fagge, a medical practitioner, and nephew of John Hilton. He was born in Hythe, Kent on 30 June 1838. Fagge entered Guy's Hospital medical school in October 1856, and in 1859, at the first M.B. examination at the university of London, gained three scholarships and...
in 1888. - Vice-chancellorChancellor (education)A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of University of London
Obituary
PHILIP HENRY PYE-SMITH, M.D., F.R.C.P, F.R.S. Consulting Physician to Guy’s HospitalWe regret to have to record the death, on May 23, of Dr. P.H. Pye-Smith, who throughout the greater part of his career was identified with Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
and its Medical School. Dr. Pye-Smith, who was in his 75th year, has been in failing health for some years, but his death was unexpected.
Philip Henry Pye-Smith was the son of Mr. Ebenezer Pye-Smith, F.R.C.S. who had a large practice in Hackney, and the grandson of the Rev. John Pye-Smith
John Pye-Smith
The Rev Dr John Pye-Smith FRS, FGS was a Congregational theologian and tutor, associated with reconciling geological sciences with the Bible, repealing the Corn Laws and abolishing slavery...
, D.D., F.R.S., a well-known Nonconformist divine. He was educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
and then went to University College
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, taking the degree of B.A.Lond., with honours in classics, in 1858. He pursued his medical course at Guy's Hospital, entering in 1859. In 1861, at the first examination for the degree of M.B. in the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, he took the exhibition and gold medal in physiology, histology, and comparative anatomy, and honours in anatomy, organic chemistry, and materia medica. In 1861-2 he was dresser to Mr. Bryant and Mr. Birkett, and physician’s reporter to Dr. (and afterwards Sir William) Gull. When he graduated M.B. in 1863 he took the gold medals in medicine and in surgery, first-class honours in obstetric medicine, and honours in forensic medicine. In the following year he graduated M.D., taking the first place and receiving the gold medal of the university.
He then spent some time abroad at the medical schools in Vienna and Berlin, forming what proved to be lasting friendships with Professor Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
and others. At this time the assistant lecturers on comparative anatomy at Guy’s were Drs. Pavy
Frederick William Pavy
William Frederick Pavy was a British physician and physiologist and the discoverer of Pavy's disease, a cyclic or recurrent physiologic albuminuria....
and Moxon, and in October, 1865, he succeeded them as the teacher of comparative anatomy and zoology. These subjects interested him greatly, and he held the post until the year 1875; during this time he reorganized the museum of comparative anatomy and compiled the catalogue. He was eminently suited for this work, and he included in the catalogue many observations on the classification of animals which were of great value to the students. His work brought into contact with zoologists, and he formed friendships with the late Professor Huxley and other eminent naturalists. It is said that at this time Professor Huxley once referred to him as the best educated young man in London. In 1866 the demonstrators of anatomy were Dr. Moxon, Mr. Bankart, and Dr. Hilton Fagge, and on the appointment of Dr. Moxon as assistant physician Dr. Pye-Smith succeeded him as demonstrator of anatomy, an appointment he held for four years.
In 1870, he was appointed medical registrar and in the following year assistant physician. Microscopes were not in use in medical schools in those days, and shortly before this, at the suggestion of Dr. Moxon, Mr. Howse had started a class in histology. Then Dr. Pye-Smith took up the teaching of practical physiology in the school; the course consisted chiefly of histological work; the sections were cut by hand, the tissue being held between two pieces of carrot, and although great manual dexterity was attained by a few, the sections were very clumsy compared with the mechanically-cut sections which were available a few years later.
In 1873 he was appointed lecturer on physiology jointly with Dr. Pavy, and became sole lecturer on the subject in 1877. He held the appointment for seven years. The preparation of his lectures was characterized by great care; elaborate tables were written up on the board, and a very excellent summary of the current views on physiology was put before his students. He had the qualities which were essential for a good lecturer — he spoke deliberately, delivered himself in excellent English, and illustrated is lectures with numerous well-drawn diagrams. At that time the instruction did not include much practical work, and experiments with recording instruments, which were then being bought into use by Professor Michael Foster at Cambridge, were infrequent.
In 1877 he was appointed to the department of skin diseases, which post he held for several years, taking a deep interest in the work. His demonstrations became very popular, for the subject was one which especially lent itself to dogmatic and precise teaching. A long series of students followed his methods with the greatest advantage. He did much to advance the subject by his insistence on the correct use of terminology. He emphasized the importance of applying on a set of terms to the lesions and another set to the etiology
Etiology
Etiology is the study of causation, or origination. The word is derived from the Greek , aitiologia, "giving a reason for" ....
of the diseases, and he did much to modify and improve the chaotic nomenclature which was current at that time. His small book, Introduction to Skin Diseases, marked a distinct advance towards the elucidation of the whole subject. A large portion of his private practice was always connected with this speciality. At this time he lived at Finsbury Square
Finsbury Square
Finsbury Square is a square in central London. It was developed in 1777 on the site of a previous area of green space to the east of London known as Finsbury Fields, in the parish of St Luke's and near Moorfields. It is sited on the east side of City Road, opposite the east side of Bunhill Fields....
, and was an active member of the Hunterian Society
Hunterian Society
The Hunterian Society, founded in 1819 in honour of the Scottish surgeon John Hunter , is a society of physicians and dentists based in London....
. He contribute frequently to the Society’s Proceedings, and he was also a frequent contributor to the Pathological Society, whose Transactions he enriched by some forty papers, dealing with every variety of subject. He became physician to the hospital in 1883 on the death of Dr. Hilton Fagge, whose decease was the first of the closely approximated losses that Guy’s Hospital suffered through the death of brilliant members of its medical staff — namely, Drs. Moxon, Fagge, Carrington, and Wooldridge. Dr. Pye-Smith edited and completed with the assistance of Drs. Wilks and Carrington, Fagge’s great work on the Principles and Practice of Medicine, which had been left unfinished. He himself contributed the articles on cutaneous disease.
He had always been greatly attracted to the history of medicine, and in the second and succeeding editions of the work he added to each chapter short historical disquisitions and notes on the derivation of medical terms, thus enhancing the value of the book. There were four editions of the work, the being published in 1901. This editing entailed a large amount of work, and he also introduced considerable statistical information drawn from the records of Guy’s Hospital concerning those diseases the data of which had not been completed by Dr. Fagge.
In 1894 he succeed Dr. Moxon as Lecturer on Medicine and held the post until he retired under the age rule in 1899. He had then been senior physician since Dr. Pavy’s retirement in 1890, and on his own retirement he was appointed consulting physician to the hospital.
He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
of London in 1870, was an examiner for eight years between 1875 and 1888, and he was a member of the council from 1888 to 1890, and a censor for 1894 to 1899. He delivered the Lumleian lectures
Lumleian Lectures
The Lumleian Lectures are a series of annual lectures run by the Royal College of Physicians of London, started in 1582 and now run by the Lumleian Trust. The name commemorates John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, who with Richard Caldwell of the College endowed the lectures, initially confined to...
on “The Etiology of Disease” in 1892, and a most scholarly Harveian oration
Harveian Oration
The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feast on St...
on “Pathology as the Basis of Rational Medicine” in 1893. He was a representative of the Royal College of Physicians on the Senate of the University of London from 1902 to 1908, and was vice-chancellor from 1903 to 1905. These were the culminating events in a long connexion with the university; he was active Member of Convocation during the important debates which preceded the earlier reform of the university, and was a member of the old standing Committee of Convocation. He represented the University of London on the General Medical Council for two periods from 1899 to 1909.
He was acknowledged authority upon life assurance, having been medical adviser to the Alliance and to the Legal and General Life Assurance offices for over thirty years.
In 1878 he was Vice-President of the Section of Physiology at the annual meeting of the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
at Bath, in 1891 President of the Section of Medicine at the annual meeting at Bournemouth, and he gave the address in Medicine on “Medicine as a Science, and Medicine as an Art,” at the annual meeting at Ipswich in 1900.
As will be seen from this summary account, Dr. Pye-Smith accomplished much public work during his long and active career. He received many well-deserved honours from public bodies: he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in Jun, 1886; he received honorary degrees from the Universities of Dublin, Paris, and Berlin, and was Honorary Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. With Sir Herbert Maxwell he represented the British Government at the International Congress on the Prevention of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Berlin in 1899.
Throughout life he was a man of many interests, always keeping in touch with fellow workers in the subjects of zoology, physiology, medicine, and medical education. He was extremely methodical and orderly in his habits. He devoted much of his life to the interests of his hospital, invariably attending punctually and devoting a considerable amount of time to his duties. His lectures in medicine, carefully prepared as they were , and illustrated by many tables, proved of great value to his audience. He was an accomplished scholar, with a well-stored mind, and an accurate memory. His library was his great hobby, and he delighted to regale himself with old and favourite authors. He was very proud of his books, and he dearly loved to bring out for admiration of his friends some old volume finely bound and tooled. He was insistent on the superior of old beauties of the old, and had the greatest contempt and severity for anything that savoured of frivolity or inaccuracy. He considered the time devoted to reading the daily newspapers as worse than wasted.
His interest in the history of medical knowledge led him to urge his students to make themselves familiar with the loves and works of men great in the annals of medicine. In the wards he devoted much time to the teaching of systematic and thorough examination of the patients, and dwelt upon the bearing and significance of the various signs. He used to lay great stress on the typical physical signs and symptoms of the various diseases and all those who worked with him were thoroughly trained in the foundations of their profession. In treatment he advised the use of simple prescriptions, and was not in the habit of employing many drugs. He did not fail, however, to impress upon his students the utility of the really valuable preparations, and when he thoughts it was indicated he was always willing to push the use of any particular drug to its maximum.
He was addicted to oracular statements, such as, “Psoriasis is as unlikely to be found on the flexure of a joint as bears are to be found in Africa, while eczema may often leave its proper territory just as marsupials may occur in Virginia.” :It is venial error to overlook a murmur, but a grave one to image one when it does not exist.” “The loudness of a bruit is unimportant, its rhythm and distribution are all-important.” “Gout is almost always podagra, sometimes chiagra, seldom gonagra, and scarcely ever omagra.” “In a doubtful case of dermatitis think firstly of its being caused by an irritant, intentionally or accidentally; secondly, by a drug; thirdly, by a parasite; and lastly, by syphilis.” “Perverse in treatment and push remedies.” “As you practise your auscultation on your own chest and recall your anatomy on your own joints so from your own accidents and illnesses you will learn to sympathize with pain, to bear with impatience, and to put yourself into your patient’s place.”
When delivering a complimentary address, or making an after-dinner speech, he was pre-eminent. He had a happy knack of saying just the right thing in the happiest way, often with a touch of humour, and couched in the most elegant English, while an appropriate simile or quotation gave an indication of his wide culture, Being of a generous and unselfish disposition, the acts of kindness done by him to others were many; these were frequently unknown, because any suggestion of self-seeking, aggressiveness, or advertisement was abhorrent to him. His was a long, useful, and beneficent life, but it was clouded over towards the latter years by ill-health, which practically more or less confined him to the house, and incapacitated him from taking any active part in affairs. He was tenderly cared for by his devoted wife, to whom and to his son the sympathies of all will go out in their loss.
A memorial service was held on Wednesday, May 27, at St. George’s, Hanover Square, and was conducted by Canon Sandys, of Oxford, and the Rev. W. W. Jackson. Beside the family mourners, those present included Sir John Bradford (representing the Royal Society), Dr. Herringham
Wilmot Herringham
Sir Wilmot Parker Herringham KCMG CB was a British medical doctor, academic and author. He was one of the first doctors to investigate the effect and treatment of poison gas in World War I.-Life:...
(University of London), Sir Francis Champneys (Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
), Mr Stephen Paget (Research Defence Society), Sir James Fowler, Sir Dyce Duckworth, Dr. H. Tooth, Dr. T. Dyke Acland, Dr. N. Moore, Dr. J. A. Ormerod, and Dr. W. H. White (who also represented Guy’s Hospital), representing the Royal College of Physicians, Lady Bradford, Lady Duckworth, Lady Barlow, Lady Perry, Sir Alfred
Alfred Downing Fripp (surgeon)
Sir Alfred Downing Fripp K.C.V.O. was a surgeon at Guy's Hospital, London.He was born in Dorset, the son of the artist Alfred Downing Fripp. His godfather was royal tutor John Neale Dalton...
and Lady Fripp, Sir James Reid, Sir Bryan Donkin, the Master of the Rolls
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
, Sir William Osler
William Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
, Sir William Church, Mr. Guy Elliston (British Medical Association), the Rev. F. Lenwood (London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
), Dr. Little (General Medical Council), and Mr James McGowan (representing the Governors of Mill Hill School). The burial took place later at Abney Park
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
, Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
.
[photograph contained in original article]