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Arthur Donaldson Smith (1866–1939) was an American physician,
''Through Unknown African Countries: the First Expedition from Somaliland to Lake Rudolf'' (London: 1897)
(PDF file) 1866 births 1939 deaths Explorers of Africa Recipients of the Cullum Geographical Medal {{explorer-stub
Arthur Donaldson Smith (1866–1939) was an American physician, hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
, and explorer
Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians.
Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
of Africa. In the 1890s he made a geological expedition to Lake Rudolph (now Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...
), passing through what was then Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
, southern Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
. In order to visit Ethiopia, he had to get permission from Menelik II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
. The trip lasted 18 months and took place between 1894 and 1895. In 1897 he published a book about his trip called, ''Through Unknown African Countries: the First Expedition from Somaliland to Lake Rudolf''.
In 1895 three new species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of reptiles
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
were named in his honor by Belgian-British herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...
George Albert Boulenger
George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...
: ''Zamenis smithi'' (now '' Platyceps brevis smithi)'', ''Hemidactylus smithi
Smith's leaf-toed gecko (''Hemidactylus smithi'') is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Horn of Africa.
Etymology
The specific name, ''smithi'', is in honor of American physician Arthur Donaldson Smith ...
'', and ''Pseuderemias smithii
''Pseuderemias smithii'', also known commonly as Smith's racerunner or Smith's sand racer, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to East Africa.
Etymology
''P. smithii'' is named after Arthur Donaldson Smith ...
''.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Smith, Arthur", p. 247).
He is interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.
The cemetery is ...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
References
External links
''Through Unknown African Countries: the First Expedition from Somaliland to Lake Rudolf'' (London: 1897)
(PDF file) 1866 births 1939 deaths Explorers of Africa Recipients of the Cullum Geographical Medal {{explorer-stub