William Ramsay Smith (27 November 1859 – 28 September 1937),
[ frequently referred to as Ramsay Smith, was a Scottish physician, educator, naturalist, ]anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
and civil servant, who worked in South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
after moving there at the age of about 37 in 1896. He was initially appointed as a pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...
at the Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
and was later appointed to other roles, including that of city coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
in Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, but his legacy has been marred by allegations of misuse of human remains. He made a study of Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
, and sent body parts to Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
's anthropological collection. He published a number of books and articles in scientific journals, and in 1930 published a work under his own name which was later found to be the work of Ngarrindjeri
The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian people of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The term ''Ngarrindjeri'' means "belo ...
Elder David Unaipon
David Ngunaitponi (28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967), known as David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Ngarrindjeri people. He was a preacher, inventor and author. Unaipon's contribution to Australian society helped to bre ...
.
Early life
Smith was born in King Edward, Aberdeenshire
King Edward (Gaelic: ''Cinn Eadar'') is a small village, parish and former feudal barony near the north coast of Scotland in Buchan midway between Turriff and Banff.
The old church of King Edward with historic graveyard was founded around 1124 ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the son of William Smith (a farm servant, and later stationmaster) and his wife Mary ''née'' MacDonald (domestic servant). They lived on the estate of Cairnbanno House near New Deer
New Deer ( gd, Achadh Reite) is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland, which lies in the valley of Deer. It is located at the junction of several roads crossing through the Howe of Buchan. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, O ...
. He attended the nearby Cairnbanno Public School (which taught using the Madras School
Madras School is a system of education prevailing in the city of Chennai, India (formerly known as Madras) discovered in the early part of the 19th century, though believed to be much older, wherein education was imparted by senior pupils who ed ...
system - all pupils also teaching). Winning a Free Church
A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fr ...
scholarship, from 1877 he studied arts at Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
and then attended Moray House Training College
The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood Campus, l ...
to train as a teacher for two years.[
]
Career
At 20 years of age Smith was appointed headmaster of Invergordon
Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen.
History
The town built up around the harbour which was establish ...
Public School, in Easter Ross
Easter Ross ( gd, Ros an Ear) is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland.
The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constitue ...
, but, due to an interest in physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
, he returned to Edinburgh University to study arts and science. He then won an entrance scholarship for Medicine of £100 a year for three years. On completing his medical course in 1885 Smith was appointed assistant-professor of natural history, senior demonstrator of zoology at Edinburgh University. He graduated BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
(natural sciences) in 1888.
In 1889 'Illustrations of Zoology' was published which he had prepared in collaboration with J. S. Norwell. He graduated MB ChM in 1892. For two years Smith was demonstrator of anatomy at Edinburgh, and served as examiner at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...
. During this period he lived at 4 Grange Loan in the south of Edinburgh.
Australia
In 1896 Smith travelled to Australia at the request of the Government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
to fill a pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
position at the Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
. Smith was expelled from the British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a 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 headquar ...
and banned from the association in 1897 after internal conflict with hospital staff (who accused him of incompetence), but was exonerated by an open enquiry by the Hospital Board. In 1899 he was appointed physician to the infectious disease
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
s unit at the hospital, Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
City Coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
, Inspector of Anatomy and chairman of the Central Board of Health.[
In 1901 during the ]South African War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
he was surgeon captain, Imperial Bushmen's Corps and officer in charge of plague administration at Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.[
Smith was suspended from coronial duties in 1903 after 18 charges were laid against him of the misuse of human remains, specifically the removal of heads and the collection of ]skeleton
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
s for medical research,[ Also available vi]
ResearchGate
/ref> including that of well-known and popular local identity, Tommy Walker. A board of inquiry
A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...
headed by James George Russell
James George Russell (28 March 1848 – 5 January 1918) was an Australian lawyer and public servant, who was an acting Supreme Court judge in South Australia.
Russell was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the eldest son of James Russell, an ...
found that Smith's actions had been "indiscreet" and he was dismissed from his position as coroner. He was reinstated as coroner and head of the health department and his research praised, but had to resign from his hospital and other duties.[
In 1904 Smith graduated ]DSc DSC may refer to:
Academia
* Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
* District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India
* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Educational institutions
* Dalton State Col ...
from the University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
, and published ''A Manual for Coroners''. In his spare time made a special study of Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
. Smith was the author of ''The Aborigines of Australia'', which was printed in volume three of the ''Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia'' (1910), in which he criticised misrepresentation of Aboriginal people, suggesting review of "our knowledge of heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
beliefs and actions" and referring to them as the "most interesting ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...
at present on earth and the least deserving to be exterminated by us and the most wronged at our hands".[
In 1906 he was elected a Fellow of the ]Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
. His proposers were Sir William Turner
Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916.
Life
Turner was born in Lancaster ...
, Daniel John Cunningham
Daniel John Cunningham M.D., D.C.L., LL. D. F.R.S., F.R.S.E. F.R.A.I. (15 April 1850 – 23 July 1909) was a Scottish physician, zoologist, and anatomist, famous for ''Cunningham's Text-book of Anatomy'' and ''Cunningham's Manual of Prac ...
, Alexander Crum Brown
Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildings complex is named after him.
Early life and education
Crum Brown was born at 4 Belle ...
and Cargill Gilston Knott
Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...
.
In 1913 he published ''Medical Jurisprudence from the Judicial Standpoint'', for which he received the degree of MD from Edinburgh University.[
In 1915 was in charge of the Australian General Hospital, Australian Imperial Force, ]Heliopolis, Egypt
Heliopolis (I͗wnw, Iunu or 𓉺𓏌𓊖; egy, I͗wnw, 'the Pillars'; cop, ⲱⲛ; gr, Ἡλιούπολις, Hēlioúpοlis, City of the Sun) was a major city of ancient Egypt. It was the capital of the 13th or Heliopolite Nome of Lower Eg ...
. There, he clashed with principal matron Bell over which of them should manage the nursing staff. An Inquiry resulted in both being recalled to Australia.[
On his return to Adelaide, Smith resumed his duties at the board of health and contributed to the ''Australian Encyclopaedia'', including a large part of the "Aborigines" article. Following a trip to the ]South Seas
Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...
Smith published ''In Southern Seas'' (1924), the second half of which is mostly about Aboriginal peoples.[
Smith retired in 1929 and published a book ''Myths & legends of the Australian Aboriginals'' (1930), a collection of narratives as told to Smith by ]David Unaipon
David Ngunaitponi (28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967), known as David Unaipon, was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Ngarrindjeri people. He was a preacher, inventor and author. Unaipon's contribution to Australian society helped to bre ...
, who had been engaged as Smith's assistant,[ though later research has determined that Unaipon had sold the text to finance his own work. Authorship of the book, which at the time was criticised as dominated by "white thinking"] has now been properly attributed to Unaipon and republished under his name as ''Legendary tales of the Australian Aborigines ''. Smith has also been accused of sales of Aboriginal artefacts for profit.
Anthropological collection
Smith was responsible for the bulk of Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
's physical anthropology collection, some 500 to 600 individuals.
From Smith's writings, it is clear that he was aware of Indigenous funerary customs."After death no reference is made to the deceased, nor is his name mentioned. Relations by the same name find a substitute. A mother would not give ea lock of her child’s hair because she has been taught that if the child dies, its spirit will find no rest if that lock of hair survives."
As desecration of human remains was illegal, he used his position as Adelaide's coroner to illicitly dissect and collect human remains, many being individuals of unusual pathologies or disease, most of which he presented to Edinburgh University. His writings indicate that he also robbed graves and it is believed he had once destroyed five graves to obtain one good specimen. Witnesses also record that he practiced his marksmanship with a .303 rifle on corpses at the mortuary of Adelaide hospital. While he did not receive payment for the remains, he was rewarded for his "donations" with Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
(upon the proposal of Sir William Turner
Sir William Turner (7 January 1832, in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster – 15 February 1916, in Edinburgh) was an English anatomist and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1903 to 1916.
Life
Turner was born in Lancaster ...
, Daniel John Cunningham
Daniel John Cunningham M.D., D.C.L., LL. D. F.R.S., F.R.S.E. F.R.A.I. (15 April 1850 – 23 July 1909) was a Scottish physician, zoologist, and anatomist, famous for ''Cunningham's Text-book of Anatomy'' and ''Cunningham's Manual of Prac ...
, Alexander Crum Brown
Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS (26 March 1838 – 28 October 1922) was a Scottish organic chemist. Alexander Crum Brown Road in Edinburgh's King's Buildings complex is named after him.
Early life and education
Crum Brown was born at 4 Belle ...
and Cargill Gilston Knott
Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...
)[
] and an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Anthropological Institute
The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is a long-established anthropological organisation, and Learned Society, with a global membership. Its remit includes all the component fields of anthropology, such as biolo ...
. He was an honorary member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
.
He was responsible for the collection of human remains of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
, including remains stolen from burial grounds at Hindmarsh Island
Hindmarsh Island (Ngarrindjeri: Kumerangk) is an inland river island located in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia, Goolwa, South Australia.
The island is a tourist destination, which has increased in popularity si ...
, some of which were shipped to overseas institutions. At his death in 1937, 182 skulls were found in his Adelaide home.
In addition to numerous books, Smith also published pamphlets and contributed largely to scientific journals and '' Chambers Encyclopaedia''. He was interested in literature, philosophy and music, and earned a reputation as an authority on Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
.[
]
Death
Smith spent his final years quietly among his books at Belair, South Australia
Belair is a suburb in the south eastern foothills of Adelaide, South Australia at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Name
Before European settlement, the Kaurna people called the area of modern-day Belair "piraldi". One early European name for ...
, where he died on 28 September 1937. Smith had married Margaret, daughter of James Mackenzie, on 1 June 1889, who predeceased him. Four daughters and a son survived him.[
]
Legacy
He is remembered mainly for his desecration of human remains,[ a legacy which is grimly symbolised in artist Yhonnie Scarce's work ''In the Dead House'', a glass art installation for the 2020 ]Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
housed in the building which was used as the morgue
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cus ...
of the old Adelaide Lunatic Asylum.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Ramsay
1859 births
1937 deaths
19th-century Scottish medical doctors
20th-century Scottish medical doctors
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
British coroners
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian anthropologists
Australian coroners
Australian encyclopedists
Australian pathologists
Australian public servants
Australian travel writers
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Medical jurisprudence
People from Banff and Buchan
Scottish anatomists
Scottish anthropologists
Scottish civil servants
Scottish emigrants to Australia
Scottish encyclopedists
Scottish naturalists
Scottish pathologists
Scottish schoolteachers
Scottish soldiers
Scottish surgeons
Scottish zoologists
University of Adelaide alumni
Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War
20th-century surgeons