MEMOIR 
OF 
3. ©Urfeoit IL fl. 
BY J. W. FISHER. 
COLUMBIA, PA. 
STEPHEN GREENE, PRINTER, COLUMBIA SPY OFFICE. 
1855.  
ANDREW CLARKSON SMITH, M. D., the subject of this memoir, 
was born on the first day of January, A. I). 1832, in Upper Chanceford 
township, York county, Pennsylvania. He was the second child and 
eldest son of William Smith, M. D., who was a native of York county, 
and who for many years pursued his profession in his native county, 
during which time he accumulated a small amount of property, which is 
at this time in the possession of the family-the Dr. having died about 
nine years since. The wife of Dr. William Smith, and mother of the 
young Doctor, was the daughter of Andrew Clarkson, Esq., formerly of 
Chanceford, in the same county. Clarkson (for this was the name by 
which the subject of this work was best known, and by that name I shall 
speak of him in these pages) early in life manifested an ardent desire 
after knowledge. His parents placed him under the care of the school mas- 
ter of his native place, where, by his diligence and industry, he soon 
mastered the branches taught in the country schools. He was then sent 
to the Borough of York, and placed under the care of the best teachers of 
that place. He was for a considerable time in the Academy kept by Rev. 
Stephen Boyer. Whilst there he applied himself faithfully to his 
studies; and in this way not only won the confidence and esteem of his 
preceptor, but as might have been expected, acquired a very respectable 
knowledge of the Latin a,nd Greek languages, as well as of the other 
branches of science taught in the institution. 
In the spring of 1849, Clarkson left school, being then in his 18th year, 
and came to Columbia, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he com- 
menced the study of medicine with his uncle, James S. Clarkson, M. D., 
who was at that time in the full tide of prosperity, constantly engaged in 
a very laborious and highly lucrative practice; and although his time and 
energies were taxed to their utmost extent, his untiring industry and 
perseverance, combined with his admirably arranged plans of operations, 
enabled him to perform an amount of professional labor which would 4 
appear almost incredible. The writer has known Dr. Clarkson to have 
had under treatment, at one time, over a hundred patients, scattered 
through the town and surrounding country; and yet by proper regard to 
economy of time, never miss for one day of seeing them all, and generally 
within a few minutes of the time that he had arranged at the previous 
visit. It was doubtless owing to the industry and perseverance of his 
first medical preceptor, that young Smith exhibited so many striking traits 
of character in his future short but brilliant career. During the summer 
of 1849, Clarkson was remarkably attentive to his studies, and made 
rapid progress in the knowledge of the profession of which he afterwards, 
became so distinguished a member, in the place where he located. He con- 
tinued with his uncle, Dr. Clarkson, during the winter of 1849-50, and the 
following spring and summer, making great progress in his studies, and 
during the hours of recreation cultivating the acquaintance of a few of the 
young men of the town, all of whom will testify to the kindness of his 
disposition and devotedness of attachment to those who were so fortunate 
as to become his associates. In his intercourse with the companions of 
his boyhood, as well as those with whom he became acquainted in later 
years, the leading characteristic of both the boy and the man was benev- 
olence. A few facts which will be related in these pages will show this 
to have been the case in a striking degree. Another of the more promi- 
nent features of his life was coolness in the times of danger or surrounding 
excitement. This will also appear more fully as this work advances. 
One instance of this characteristic, which occurred in his boyhood, may 
be mentioned here. In August of 1850, Dr. Clarkson died. His death 
occurred in the following manner: He had occasion to visit several 
patients in Manor township, a few miles from Columbia. As was fre- 
quently the case, he was accompanied by his nephew, the subject of this 
memoir. After attending to the objects of his visits, the Dr. and his 
young and highly intelligent student were returning home; their hor.-e 
became fractious and refused to draw the carriage up a rugged hill; Dr.- 
Clarkson became somewhat excited in consequence of the stubbornness of 
the horse, and not being at the time in sound health, and the weather 
being excessively warm, he was suddenly attacked by aploplexy. Here 
then was an emergency well calculated to try the nerves of a youth of IS 
years. Being several miles from home, with the almost lifeless body of 
his uncle resting in his arms, a horse which had by this time became 
nearly frantic, and not a soul nigh to render him assistance, and to add to 
the terrible excitement of the moment, night was approaching; but, 
appalling as were the circumstances, the gallant youth was equal to them 
all; and faking his dying uncle in his arms, he gave full rein to the horse 
and started for home, where he arrived just at nightfall, but not until the 
lamented Dr. Clarkson had ceased to breathe. That was a sorrowful 
night in Columbia, not only to the family of the deceased but to the whole 
community. Almost every family felt as though they had lost a friend. 
And well might they; for take Dr. Clarkson all in all we shall not scon 
look upon his like again. Here then was one instance going to show 
that young Clarkson possessed a degree of undaunted courage and coc I 
deliberation, under extraordinary circumstances, rarely found in young 
men. Other facts will be introduced hereafter, to prove those traits of 
character still more strongly. 
Dr. Clarkson having died, a new state of circumstances presented itself. 5 
It was not long, however, until Clarkson, counselled no doubt by his highly 
intelligent mother, entered the office of J. L. Atlce, M. D., a gentleman 
of -the highest professional reputation, and after the usual time and the 
completion of the ordinary studies, Clarkson graduated at the University 
of Pennsylvania, with the very first honors. This was inthe spring of 1852. 
Dr. Smith, for so we shall call him now, came to Columbia and commen- 
ced the practice of medicine. The reputation of his preceptors, his known 
habits of industry, and his character for proficiency in his profession, at 
once introduced him into a respectable practice, in which he was remark- 
ably successful. His fame as a physician and surgeon soon began to 
spread through the town and surrounding country, and in a very short 
time he stood not only as an equal with those who had been practising for 
years, but many of them looked up to him as the very head of the profes- 
sion. Dr. Smith performed several surgical operations with a degree of 
success which at once drew the attention of the public to him as the 
leading surgeon of the place. One or two of these it may not be deemed 
out of place to mention. A young man from Marietta, while attending 
preaching a few miles from that place, met with a severe accident, by 
which his scull was so badly fractured that his life waS entirely despaired 
of, not only by his friends, but by the physicians who were called to see 
him. Dr. Smith, determining not to let him die without at least an effort 
to save him, undertook the task, no one but himself entertaining the least 
hope of his recovery; but to the utter surprise of every one who saw the 
injury, the young man recovered under the magic-like treatment of the 
noble young Dr., and he now lives to bless the memory of his deliverer 
from the very fangs of death.* 
Another case was that of a young man who had been very severely 
burned by the explosion of a spirit lamp, so that his features were likely 
to be most terribly disfigured. He was a stranger, from the Emereld Isle, 
without money or friends here to procure medical aid, or even to sympa- 
thize with him. Here was an opportunity for the display of benevolence. 
Dr. Smith, as might have been expected by those who knew him best, 
stepped forward and undertook the case, without hope of fee or reward, 
other than the consciousness of having endeavored to relieve a fellow 
being from his sufferings. He performed the operation in the manner 
set forth in the following statement, prepared by himself, in a report of 
the case to the American Journal of the Medical Sciences: 
Autoplastic Operation for the removal of the Deformity produced by a burn. 
By A. Clarkson Smith, M. D., of Columbia, Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania. 
In the autumn of 1853, I was consulted by John Munroe, set. 20, in 
reference to a deformity of the neck, produced by a burn he had received 
a year previously. 
On examination, I found the "tissue of the cicatrix" unattached, for 
the most part, to the superficial fascia, being movable, and easily raised 
from the parts beneath. The tissue was thick, and composed of dense 
fibres crossing each other, and interlacing, covered by a delicate cuticle. 
Small cavities, formed by the crossing of the fibres, existed here and there 
over its surface, at the bottom of which slight adhesion was found with 
*In this operation Dr. Smith was assisted by Dr. Henry John, of Columbia, of 
whose services on the occasion Dr. Smith has frequently spoken in the highest terms. the fascia beneath. The cicatrix extended from the inner edge of the 
mastoid muscle, of the right side, along the course of the lower maxilla to 
a point midway between the chin and angle of the left side of that bone, 
involving the integuments of the neck to a point half an inch below the 
thyroid cartilage, following a line drawn from this point to the acromial 
third of the clavicle. The parts seemed firm and rather pale, though 
somewhat sensitive. The appearance of vascularity was not such as to 
cause any apprehension of much hemorrhage. Altogether, the patient 
seemed in a condition in which an operation would be most likely to 
succeed; accordingly, I advised him to submit, stating, at the same time, 
the risks of a failure. After weighing the matter for a length of time, 
he concluded to have the operation performed, and, on the 2d of January, 
placed himself under my care for that purpose. 
On the 4th inst., assisted by Dr. B. Rohrer, now of Germantown, Pa., 
and Dr. Mahon, of this place, I operated. The patient was placed on a 
table, with his head slightly inclined backwards. A mixture of chloro- 
form and ether was exhibited until completely under its influence, and 
then, being firmly held by assistants, an incision was made, a line above 
the upper margin of the cicatrix, from the edge of the mastoid muscle of 
the right side to the termination of the cicatrix on the left. Getting under 
the "modular" tissue, it was carefully dissected from the fascia, until the 
entire mass was completely removed. There was but little hemorrhage, 
and no vessel requiring the ligature was cut. A flap, sufficiently large 
to allow of considerable contraction, was taken from the breast, (the head 
being still inclined backwards,) and carefully upplied by means of the 
interrupted suture and adhesive strips. The edges of the wound on the 
breast are approximated, as nearly as possible, by adhesive strips, and 
then covered with soft lint steeped in olive oil. The connection between 
the transplanted integument and its original location was preserved by a 
strip of integument an inch and a half in breadth. This was so loosely 
twisted as not to interfere with its circulation. The flap was covered with 
oiled silk, an opium pill given, and the patient left in charge of a nurse 
for the night. 
January 5. Patient rested quietly during the night; complains of sore- 
ness in his extremities, produced, doubtless, by the struggles of yesterday, 
and a feeling of stiffness in his jaw. Pulse 88. Lymph thrown out 
abundantly around the edges of the wound. Ordered, pil. opii gr. j, ter 
in die, and milk diet. 
GZA Passed a restless night; complains of a sense of fulness in the 
epigastrium; much pain in the wound on the breast; tongue coated; pulse 
110; discharge of sanguineous fluid from the inferior portion of the flap. 
Removed some of the adhesive strips which had become loosened, and 
applied fresh ones; also re-dressed the breast, and in place of the oiled lint 
applied a slippery elm poultice. Ordered sennte, mannae, mag. sulph. 
each 2 dr.; semen, foenicula half dr.; aquae fervent. Oss. M. ft. haust. 
7 th. Symptoms much improved; pulse 95; little or no pain in the wound 
on the breast; flap still adhering; cuticle vesicating. To prevent this, 
coated the entire flap with collodion. 
10th. Removed the dressings from the neck and breast. Adhesion has 
taken place between the flap and surface beneath. The exclusion of the 
air by means of the collodion checked the vesication. A slight suppura- 
tion where the stitches were drawn through induced me to remove them. 
6 7 
The parts were still supported by a few adhesive strips and a slight 
bandage passing around the neck and over the head. 
From this time he rapidly recovered, and at the end of three weeks was 
able to leave the house. So perfect has been the union of the parts that 
scarcely a vestige of the line of adhesion remains superiorly. 
The connection between the flap and breast was severed at the expira- 
tion of three weeks, and the patient discharged. 
Columbia, Pa., April, 1854. 
But there is one feature of the case which remains to be told, as it is 
one which the community knows nothing of; and that is this-the poor 
young man, as was before remarked, was without the means of support, 
when the noble, the generous, the benevolent Dr. Smith said, "never mind, 
my young friend, while I have a dollar you shall not want; I will engage 
boarding for you; if you recover and become able to pay for it, well-if 
not, I can pay it." Here was a display of genuine benevolence: here was 
no hope of reward; this was not a proffered service to a man of wealth and 
power, where he might look for a two fold return; but it arose from the 
generous impulses of his great heart to relieve the sufferings of the poor 
stranger, and perform the part of the good Samaritan to one who could 
do nothing for his benefactor, but render the homage of gratitude. 
Dr. Smith continued in the practice of his profession, daily growing in 
the confidence of the people, on account of the skill displayed in the 
treatment of disease, and constantly rising in their affections, by various 
acts of benevolence and charity-never heralded by himself-but spoken 
■of by the recipients, who were continually invoking the choicest gifts of 
Heaven's munificence upon their generous benefactor. 
On the 7th of September, 1854, when that most fearful epidemic, the 
Asiatic Cholera, burst upon the devoted inhabitants of Columbia, in all 
its fury-when disease and death stalked forth, slaying with relentless 
hand all classes of our citizens, attacking strong men while in their shops, 
and in the streets prostrating them, and in a few hours carrying them 
off, defying the power of medicine to stay their ravages, as may well be 
supposed, fear and sorrow had spread their gloomy pall over almost every 
-countenance. It was then that Dr. Smith displayed, perhaps in a greater 
degree than at any other time, those characteristics of his nature, viz: 
untiring industry, cool courage, and genuine benevolence. Forgetting 
self in his desires to be of service to his fellow men, he braved the dangers 
of the disease day and night--without one moment's cessation he was 
found in every part of the town, among rich and poor, administering to 
the wants of the distressed sufferers, giving comfort to the bereaved fam- 
ilies of those who had died with the pestilence which rioted by day and 
by night, and cheering on his fellow laborers by words of encouragement, 
willing to sacrifice his very life, if by so doing he might stay the progress 
of the fell destroyer. At one time he labored for seventy hours, without 
stopping for a single moment to either eat or sleep; and then worn and 
wasted as he was by the almost super human exertions which he had put 
forth, he was prevailed upon by his friends to seek some repose, and he 
retired for a few hours for rest. But before any were more than aware 
of his absence, he was out again in the midst of the suffering people, 
laboring as though life or death was suspended upon his individual efforts. 
We may talk of the achievements and prowess of the conquering hero; 8 
we may tell to the admiring multitude of deeds of valor on the field of 
conquest; orators may make the hlood tingle through our veins whilst 
recounting the military glory of victorious arms; bards may sing of tatter- 
ed banners and broken helmets; but a higher meed of praise belongs to 
him who, in the hours of danger and death, goes forth amid the wasting 
pestilence to soothe the fevered brow and relax the grasp of death and 
restore to health those who are suffering and even dying from the ravages 
of a fearful epidemic. Such was the work of Dr. Smith, and many a 
grateful heart will bless his memory, for his devotion to their suffering 
and dying friends. 
During the prevalence of that terrible epidemic which carried so many 
of the citizens of Columbia to an untimely grave, great fears were at one 
time entertained that the Dr. himself was likely to be taken down with 
the disease, and many a tearful eye told the solicitude which was felt for 
his safety. But after a short interval, when it was known that he was 
fully restored and out of danger, new hope seemed to reanimate those 
who had been most apprehensive for his safety. 
In order that the reader of these pages may realize more fully the devo- 
tion with which Dr. Smith was actuated at that time, and the deep 
anxiety with which he watched over the lives of those who were entrusted 
to his care during the prevalence of Cholera at the time of its visit to 
Columbia, I have thought proper to insert an extract of a letter to his 
mother, in reply to a very affectionate letter written by her to the Dr. 
urging him to come home and recruit his own health; and whilst it mani- 
fests his unwillingness to leave those for whose wants he was wasting his 
energies, it is but another among the many incidents which manifest his 
deep concern for the welfare of others. The letter from which the follow- 
ing extract is taken is dated Columbia, Sept. 13th 1854. After giving a 
very full account of the progress of the disease, he says: "How often 
have I felt like going away-for I know not when I start out if I may 
return again. I have seen strong men taken in the streets, and in a few 
hours they were in their graves. But I cannot leave these poor people; 
and if I fall, it must be at my post doing my duty." Where can be found 
a more self-sacrificing sentiment than this?-an entire indifference to his 
own ease and comfort-everything for his afflicted neighbors, and not a 
thought for his own safety. Well might his devoted mother prize highly 
such a son. That was a sentiment worthy of utterance' by the most heroic 
of Sparta's noble sons. Another extract of a letter written to his sister, 
Mrs. Harris, of York county, dated Columbia, Sept. 25, 1854, will serve 
still further to exhibit that same disregard to self while engaged in re- 
lieving the wants of others. He says: "It is my desire when I come to 
die, to be found doing all I can for those among whom my lot is cast; and 
nothing could have induced me to leave the place while disease and death 
were wasting our population." 
Shortly after the pestilence had left the town, the Dr. paid a visit to 
his mother, where an affectionate welcome awaited him. He spent a 
short time in the society of his relatives, and then returned to engage anew 
in his laborious profession. 
Soon after these events, Dr. Smith presented himself before the Board 
of Naval Examiners, desiring to enter the U. S. Navy. He passed a most 
creditable examination, and received a diploma as Assistant Surgeon. 
But from the strong remonstrances of his mother, for whom he entertained 9 
a most affectionate regard, it is doubtful whether he would have entered 
the service, although he has frequently expressed to the writer of these' 
pages an anxious desire to do so. 
Some time after this, the Dr. was spoken of as a young man of very 
superior talents and attainments, in the presence of the resident Minister 
at Washington from the Court of St. Petersburg, and a few days after he 
received an offer of an appointment of Surgeon in the Russian Army or 
Navy. The Dr., however, was too true and strong a republican to accept 
a post under an autocrat, and at once declined the proffered appointment. 
During the winter of 1854-55 Dr. Smith devoted a great portion of time 
to the study of the cause and nature of Yellow Fever, as well as to the 
different modes of its treatment. The writer recollects having frequently 
visited the Dr's, office, and found him deeply engaged in examining the 
works of the most distinguished authors upon that disease, and on interro- 
gating him as to the great attention which he was bestowing upon that 
subject, he replied, "I have thought that this region of country would be 
visited with the Yellow Fever before long, and I wish to be prepared to 
meet it." 
Such was the character of Dr. Smith, always desiring to be prepared to 
encounter disease in its most violent form, and thus save the community 
from the ravages of those scourges which periodically sweep over the land, 
like some devastating Simoon, destroying every one within its reach, un- 
less stayed by the skill and industry of the medical faculty. Dr. Smith 
has been called ambitious, and he undoubtedly was so. But his was the 
ambition of being useful to his fellow-men, and that ambition which is 
ennobling in its character, which dignifies and adorns, and is calculated to 
make the world better than it otherwise would be. 
The Doctor having thus to some extent, at least, so far as the theory of 
the treatment of Yellow Fever was concerned, qualified himself to grapple 
successfully with the disease, heard of its advent in Norfolk and Ports- 
mouth, Virginia. It soon began its wonted ravages in those places. 
Every newspaper in the land sent forth tidings of suffering and death, and 
every feeling heart began to grow sick at the recital of the tales of suffer- 
ing and distress of the inhabitants of those devoted cities. Benevolent 
individuals in all parts of the land were exhibiting their deep and heart- 
felt sympathy, by liberal contributions for the relief of the distressed of 
those places, when Dr. Smith, animated by that spirit of benevolence 
which had so distinctly marked his whole life, volunteered his services in 
behalf of his afflicted fellow citizens of Virginia, and expressed a deter- 
mination to go to their relief. A town meeting of the citizens of Colum- 
bia was called, at which meeting a considerable amount of money was 
subscribed, when the noble young Dr. expressed his intention of going at 
once to the relief of the distressed. Those who were present at that 
meeting, will remember what a thrill of admiration passed through the 
mind of every one present when the question was put to the Dr., "when 
do you intend to start to Norfolk?" and he answered promptly, without a 
moment's time to reflect what might be the inconveniences to which he 
would be subjected by such an undertaking, "I'll go to-morrow." 
The reader, I know, will pardon me for a little episode here, which I 
introduce for the purpose of referring to another generous hearted young 
man who accompanied the Dr. on his mission of mercy. DANIEL R. 
CRAVEN, a young gentleman of a most kind and obliging disposition,. 10 
who had attracted the attention of the citizens of Columbia by his untiring 
devotedness to the wants of the sufferers, at the time the Cholera raged 
here so fearfully during the autumn of 1854, also volunteered his services 
to go along with Dr. Smith, in the capacity of a nurse. At the meeting 
of the citizens before referred to, he was asked when he would be ready 
to start, and he replied in his peculiarly laconic manner, "T am ready now." 
Here then were two young men starting on an enterprise of love-two 
generous-hearted young men willingly offering their lives a sacrifice on 
the altar of affection-ready to brave the dangers of disease and death- 
going into an infected district-with no thought of fee or reward, but 
prompted by the desire to be useful to their fellow men, though strangers 
to them both. Was this not a more noble enterprise than that of the 
warrior, who for military renown goes forth with heraldic banners and 
martial pomp, devastating towns-destroying the peace of families- 
sundering the ties of friendly intercourse between nations-and all to 
gratify the vanity of some petty monarch, who may for a time riot in the 
spoils won at the sacrifice of mothers' tears and orphans' sighs, but 
whose memory is associated with deeds of infamy? 
On the 28th of August, 1855, Dr. Smith and his young companion star- 
ted from Columbia for Norfolk, Virginia, accompanied by a number of 
their friends, as far as York, Pa., where they parted with them with the 
deepest anxiety for their welfare whilst away, with the hope of their safe 
return to mingle again in the society of their friends. Vain hope! They 
arrived at Norfolk, August 30 th. 
It will be seen by the following letter that the Dr. lost no time after his arri- 
val at Norfolk; but intent on his mission of benevolence, he at once engaged 
in the noble work for which he left the comforts of his happy home. This 
will still further tend to show the vigilance and energy of his character 
in pursuit of his calling-never shunning'for one moment the most hazard- 
ous and laborious enterprizes, if by engaging in them he might be of 
service to his suffering fellow men: 
Norfolk, Va., August 30th, 1855. 
J. W. Pisher, Esq.-Dear Sir-We reached this city about an hour 
ago, and I hasten to write to you ere I commence my duties. I shall act 
under the direction of the Howard Association for a day or two, and then 
expect to go to the Naval Hospital. 
There are a great many physicians here from the North and South, but 
there is plenty of work for all. You can form no idea of the state of 
things here and in Portsmouth. Columbia, in the hour of her deepest 
gloom, will give you no idea of the melancholy condition of this doomed 
city. Mr. Saunders, the Secretary of the Howard Association, has just 
told me that there was an increase in the number of cases last night. 
There are one thousand cases under treatment here, and four hundred in 
Portsmouth. 
We came down by way of the Nancemond River Boat to Suffolk- 
thence by Railroad, twenty-one miles, to Portsmouth. I rode on the 
engine from Magnolia Springs to Portsmouth, and the first sight which 
greeted me was a cart containing six coffins. To the left of the road is 
the Hospital and grave yard, where two bodies lay all last night waiting 
interment. I .must close to be in time for the mail to-day. To-night I 11 
will write more in detail. I can then tell you something of the Fever, as 
1 am just going out to the Hospital. Yours, very truly, 
A. Clarkson Smith. 
On the first of September, the Dr. wrote another letter, which is in- 
serted here to show that although he had been 4mt two days at Norfolk, 
he had given his entire attention to the work before him; and had been 
able to give in detail the modes of attack assumed by the disease in its 
different forms, as well as the course of treatment pursued: 
Norfolk, September 1st, 1855. 
J. W. Fisher, Esq.-My Dear Sir-Having become somewhat more 
familiar with the prevailing epidemic here than when I last wrote to you, 
I will endeavor to give you my impressions of it. I have, at present, 
thirty-eight cases under treatment, and among this number, are some in 
all the different stages of the disease. Its modes of attack are very varia- 
ble. Sometimes it commences with a decided chill, followed by a sthenic 
fever, as you see in our Remittent of the Susquehanna; sometimes neural- 
gic pains (which may be felt in any part of the body) usher it; and again, 
in some instances, when the force of the disease seems to fall most heavily 
upon the brain, persons are stricken down and in live minutes are raving 
maniacs. Mayor Woodis was a case of this kind. 
Sometimes it is difficult to convince a yellow fever patient that he has the 
disease; these are termed walking cases. I saw a man yesterday at the 
City Hospital, whose face was flushed with the peculiar hue of the fever, 
walking around the room insisting that he was not sick, and yet his fate 
was sealed. These are the worst kind of cases. The majority are taken 
at night with a chill, followed in a few hours by fever, which continues 
from forty to sixty hours without the slightest remission. The skin has a 
peculiar pungency, which once felt can never be forgotten. At the sub- 
sidence of the fever comes a calm which is most delusive. The skin 
becomes moist, the violent pains in the forehead and back cease, and the 
patients will express the conviction that they are well, and it is not an 
unusual thing to find them sitting up. Sometimes, indeed, convalescence 
dates from this period, but this is seldom. Almost always this period 
becomes the point where the issue of life or death is decided. Should 
mild, secondary fever set in the termination will be favorable. If there be 
not sufficient vital energy left to bring about this result, then comes the 
yellow skin characteristic of the disease, Black Vomit, exhaustion or 
collapse, and death. It is true some recover from this desperate condition: 
the proportion being about the same as recover from the collapse of 
Cholera. For this stage the physician must prepare from the first; and 
hence any treatment, to be successful in yellow fever, must be supporting 
even from the first; and even when called to a patient with a flushed face, 
bounding pulse, and every evidence of vascular excitement, the fearful 
struggle at the subsidence of the primary fever must not be lost sight of. 
Purgative medicine, though indicated in the first stage, must not be debil- 
itating or drastic. 
The most successful practice here, in private and Hospital practice, may 
be summed up in general terms thus. At the commencement ten grains 
of calomel and twelve of rhubarb, followed either by a dose of castor oil 
or a saline enema. Ice to the head, hot foot baths, warm poultices to the 12 
region of the stomach, dry cups to the hack of the neck. To ease the 
intense pain in the back, a liniment (the principal ingredient of which 
is chloroform) I have seen used with good effect. As soon as the bowels 
are unloaded, quinine, in combination with anodyne and diuretic medi- 
cines are given. Some prescribe it in large doses, others prefer small and 
frequently repeated; and both seem to be pretty successful. 
The above may be considered a general outline of the treatment 
pursued in the first stage; as applied to individual cases, however, it re- 
quires modifications impossible to specify in a letter. In the stage of 
collapse, stimulants, external and internal, are required; opium and its 
preparations, blisters, &c. 
I saw a lady the first day I arrived who had black vomit, and was in 
convulsions, who has since recovered. The mortality here is not great 
considering the number of cases. The reports you see in the papers are 
not correct as to the number of cases. No one seems to look for a cessa- 
tion of the disease before cold weather, unless it ceases for want of mate- 
rial, and at the rate it has been progressing lately, I should think it will 
exhaust that ere long. Craven and myself are still well. I was glad to 
receive the Inland Daily of Thursday to-day, it being the first news I have 
had from home. Yours, very truly, 
A. Clarkson Smith. 
On the 3d of September, the Dr. wrote again; and in this letter his' 
character and his disposition are exhibited without any word of comment. 
It will be seen with what devotion he clings to Mr. Craven, who was 
attacked with the prevailing disease of the place on Sunday, September 
2d, 1855. The Dr. at once gave up his practice and entered the hospital 
to act in the capacity of nurse to his stricken companion. The writer 
remembers the first remark of a friend to whom this letter was read shortly 
after its reception. When that paragraph was read in which the Dr. says, 
"I have thrown up my practice and have come over to act nurse for him," 
he said, with the greatest apparent energy, "God forever bless him 
-that is just what he would do;" and so it was just like him. I here 
insert the letter-the last one written by Dr. Smith-and one with which 
I would not willingly part: 
U. S. Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Va., September 3, 1855. 
J. W. Fisher, Esq.-Jh/ -Dear Sir-I have melancholy news for you. 
Craven was taken down with the fever yesterday at noon. I immediately 
procured a boat and took him to the Naval Hospital, where he will have 
all the attention and skill of those who have treated the disease in every 
clime where it prevails. Passed Assistant Surgeon Steele, who is one of 
the best men in the navy, will pay particular attention to him. I secured 
him a berth in the officers' department. I have thrown up my practice at 
Norfolk, at least for the present, and have come over to act nurse for him. 
His case does not appear to be a bad one, but the disease is so insidious 
that it is impossible to say what will be the result. I did not feel well 
last evening, though I think fatigue and anxiety about Craven was the 
cause of it. However, as a preventive I took twenty grains of quinine 
this morning. 
The disease has increased fearfully, both in number of cases and mor- 
tality. All is confusion and complete anarchy in Norfolk. The Howard 13 
Association is virtually dissolved, and to-day a press gang is going around 
pressing the affrighted negroes to bury the dead, and horses to carry the 
physicians. 
Although not in dread of the disease, do not be surprised to hear of me 
having it. Yours, very truly, 
A. Clarkson Smith. 
On the next day the Dr. was himself attacked with the disease. He was 
taken whilst visiting a patient in the same ward of the hospital in which 
Mr. Craven lay. His attack was of the most deadly type. He lived until 
seven o'clock P. M. of September 8th, 1855, when his generous spirit was 
released from the clay tenement, to mingle with genial spirits in a better 
land. Owing to the excitement and confusion consequent upon such an 
epidemic as had for weeks been raging at Norfolk and Portsmouth, we 
have but little to say of his last moments. The following extract of a 
letter to the Philadelphia Daily Times, embraces pretty much all the ac- 
counts which have been received: 
"Dr. Smith, of Columbia, was buried at the hopital yesterday; a nobler 
soul and more energetic man, it rarely has been my lot to meet. He was 
admired and loved by all who knew him here. He was able, in his last 
moments, to imperfectly dictate a letter to his parents and friends, which 
has been duly forwarded as directed. Ralph L. Briggs, M. D., 
Dated, Portsmouth, Va., Sept. 10, 1855. of Honesdale." 
Such was the life and death of Dr. Smith, presented in these pages but 
feebly. The writer regrets his inability to do justice to the subject, but 
submits this work to a generous public, asking that its defects be over- 
looked-in admiration of the sterling qualities of him whose life and death 
are set forth. 
The following preamble and resolutions, passed at a meeting of the 
citizens of Columbia, a few days after the sad tidings of the deaths of Dr. 
Smith and Mr. Craven had reached the place, will convey to the reader 
the estimation in which the Dr. was held by his fellow-citizens. They are 
inserted here just as they were passed by the meeting, as the writer did 
not wish to lose sight of Mr. Craven, inasmuch as he also is deserving of 
the most favorable mention, on account of the many noble qualities which 
adorned his life: 
Whereas, The mournful intelligence has been received that Dr. 
A. C. Smith died at the Naval Hospital, Norfolk, Va., on last Saturday, 
the 8th inst., of yellow fever, and that Daniel R. Craven had also died of 
the same fever at the same place; therefore 
Resolved, 1. That we have received the above sad and distressing 
intelligence with deep and heartfelt sorrow. 
Resolved, 2. That in the death of Dr. Smith, this borough has lost one 
of its most valued citizens, and the profession of which he was a member, 
one of its brightest ornaments; and that it is with melancholy satisfaction 
that we are able to bear testimony to the many noble virtues which met 
and blended in his character; to his fine natural endowments, his accom- 
plished scholarship, his quick and ready intelligence, his fidelity and 
devotion to the duties of his profession, his kind and urbane deportment- 
all of which conspired to render him eminently useful and successful in 
his profession, and greatly to endear him to all who shared his society or 
services. His life, which was full of promise, was one in which we all had 14 
an interest. Ilis death, though a noble sacrifice offered up upon the 
altar of humanity, is one which we all most deeply mourn. 
Resolved, 3. That in the death of Daniel K. Craven, this meeting, 
mindful of his valuable services during the ravages of the cholera in this 
place, and of his constant readiness to devote himself to the relief of the 
suffering, would bear testimony to his correct and benevolent deportment, 
and acknowledge that in his decease the community has sustained the loss 
of one who has ever shown himself to be "a friend in need." 
Resolved, 4. That we tender our most affectionate sympathies to the 
bereaved parents and friends of the deceased. 
Resolved, 5. That a committee of three be appointed, whose duty it. 
shall be to make arrangements, in due season, to recover the remains of 
the deceased, and bring them to this place for re-interment. 
Resolved, 6. That a committee of five for each ward be appointed, 
whose duty it shall be to solicit donations from the citizens of the borough 
and friends of the deceased, sufficient to defray the expenses of their 
removal and re-interment, and for the erection of suitable monuments over 
their graves. 
Resolved, 7. That while we mourn these mysterious and affecting dis- 
pensations of Divine Providence towards us, we at the same time continue 
most cordially to sympathize with those, in their severer trials and sorer 
bereavements, for whose relief our deceased friends periled and sacrificed 
their lives, and most earnestly pray that the God of Providence may 
speedily say to the destroying angel, "it is enough, stay now thy hand." 
Resolved, 8. That a copy of the foregoing resolutions, signed by the 
officers of this meeting, be forwarded to the parents of the deceased, and 
that they be published in the Cblumlria Spy, with the request that the 
papers of Lancaster and York counties copy the same. 
It will not, I trust, be considered improper to insert a few of the many 
notices of Dr. Smith which appeared in the newspapers of different sec- 
tions of the country shortly after his death. 
The following appeared in the Pittsburg Commercial Journal, of Sept, 
13th, 1855, and needs no comment from the writer of this work: 
A NOBLE SPIRIT GONE. 
"The telegraph of Tuesday brought us the sad intelligence of the death 
in Norfolk, by yellow fever, of Dr. A. Clarkson Smith, of Columbia, Pa. 
Let his name be honored. He was a young man about 30* years of age, 
with the brightest prospects of eminence in his profession, and, as his life 
and death attest, of a noble self-sacrificing disposition that led him to yield 
cheerfully to the call of duty, where others succumbed to the chidings of 
fear. 
All will remember how fearfully the town of Columbia suffered last year 
from the visitation of cholera. When the people were fleeing in all direc- 
tions from the scourge, and pale fear stood helpless in view of the invisi- 
ble phantom that stalked abroad almost unopposed, Dr. Smith stood at 
his post, was found wherever suffering called him, and never for a moment 
flagged in his endeavors until health was restored to the stricken ones 
who were left to mourn over the loved and lost. Loved and cherished by 
friends to whom he had thus endeared himself, the reward of his self- 
♦This is a mistake. Dr. Smith was born January 1st, 1832, conssquently he was only 
23 years old on last New Year's day. 15 
abnegation flowing in upon him in the thanks of stricken hearts and the 
constant increase of a lucrative practice, and the horizon of a happy and 
increasingly useful life widening itself before him more and more, the cry 
of the suffering and bereaved in Norfolk, of strangers whom he knew not 
and to whom he was unknown, who had no claim upon him save that of 
common humanity, came to his heart. He left all the comforts of his own 
fireside for the wards of the hospital in Norfolk, where death revels in all 
its most sickening forms, and exchanged the pure atmosphere of health at 
home for the dense and murky exhalations that hang a pall of death'over 
the stricken city of our sister State. "Man proposes-God disposes."- 
He was spared for his labor of love but ten days, and then passed on to 
where humanity, purified from all taint of sin, free from all the sorrows 
of mortality, shall bloom in eternal health and vigor. The enemy which 
he had contended against so successfully in others' behalf, fixed its deadly 
fang upon him; a few hours and he was no more. Blessed hope that, 
when earth can bestow no reward for such merit, even if it had any in 
store, there is laid up for such, through an eternal hereafter, a crown of 
blessedness that shall never fade away." 
The following, from the Mariettian of September 18, 1855, is a beautiful 
tribute to the memory of one who was during life intimately associated 
with the Editor: 
'flie telegraph of Tuesday last, brought us the intelligence of the death 
in Norfolk, on the Sth inst., by yellow fever, of Dr. A. Clarkson Smith, of 
Columbia. Sympathy for suffering, and that benevolence to the distressed 
which droppeth 
"As lhe gentle rain from heaven, 
Upon lhe place beneath." 
has ever been the proud attributes of the Medical Profession, and elicited 
from one who was not disposed to give undue credit to any profession 
(Voltaire) the remark, that "the man who is occupied in restoring the 
health of his fellows from pure benevolence, is far above the grandees of 
the earth; he belongs to the Divinity.'" And so we felt when the death of 
Dr. Smith was announced to us. It was but a few days since that we saw 
him in the enjoyment of excellent health and spirits. But the cry of sick- 
ness and death in a sister city coming to his ears, kindled within him 
that 
" Fire 
And motion of lhe soul which will not dwell 
In its own narrow being- 
But once kindled, 
Preys upon noble deeds." 
And impelled by this feeling he left Columbia on the 28th ult. for Nor- 
folk, where he died on the 8th inst., and was buried at the Naval Hospital. 
Dr. Smith was a young man of much promise, and had he lived would 
have made his mark in the medical world. His hand was ever ready to 
diffuse the heaven-born blessings which tend to adorn and dignify the 
social relations of man, and constitute the greatest source of human hap- 
piness. He followed the dignified calling which he had chosen, 'icircum- 
spectly, correctly and honorably." His manners and address were liberal 
and polished, compassionate and gentle. We believe he has left a mother 
to mourn his death. She will, however, have the consolation of knowing 
that his death was a noble sacrifice upon the altar of humanity. The 
DEATH OF DR. SMITH. 16 
Alma Mater which shed upon him its highest honors, can now cherish his 
memory as the fond mother cherishes her offspring, and the place of his 
nativity can have the proud satisfaction of ranking him amongst the most 
useful and most meritorious of her citizens. 
The following appeared in the Inland'Daily, September !5, 1855: 
DEATH OF DR. SMITH. 
Dr. Smith died at Portsmouth, Va., on the 9th inst., in the 27th year of 
his age. Though young in years, he was a man of superior attainments, 
and as a physician stood in a high rank in his profession, lie studied 
medicine under Drs. Clarkson, of Columbia, and Atlee, of this city, and 
graduated at the Pennsylvania University in 1851. lie commenced the 
practice of medicine at Columbia in the same year, where by his energy 
and skill he earned for himself honors which others, older in the profession, 
might have envied. A year ago, when Columbia was visited by the cholera, 
and when hundreds fled from their homes, he worked night and day to 
alleviate the sufferings of his fellow-men. He passed a satisfactory exam- 
ination before the Naval Board, in Philadelphia, and was earnestly soli- 
cited to accept a position as a Physician in the Navy. Dr. Smith's 
motives were far above mere pecuniary gain. The higher and nobler 
object of aiding suffering humanity, was his. Being himself compara- 
tively poor in worldly goods, he was ever as ready to visit the bedside of 
the lowly as the mansion of the wealthy. 
Hearing that medical assistance was needed in our suffering sister cities 
of Norfolk and Portsmouth, in the nobleness of his soul, and the magnan- 
imous spirit which characterized his every action, he at once left a fair 
practice, kind relations and friends, and went on his mission of mercy, 
where, after a few days of devoted service, he fell a victim to the fell 
destroyer. Far away, among strangers, with no beloved friends to soothe 
his dying spirit, he passed from time to eternity. In that period of life 
when it is most dear he has been called away. All will gratefully cherish 
his memory, and unite in saying, "we knew him but to love him." 
In person, Dr. Smith was remarkably tall, of noble and majestic appear- 
ance-and even before he had attained his majority, was from his stature 
and general deportment looked upon as a man; and this no doubt led the 
different newspaper editors to give his age greater than it really was. He 
had been brought up under the instructions of the Presbyterian church, 
and his mind was to some extent biased in that direction; but he was 
liberal in his religious sentiments, recognizing at all times the right of 
others to hold such views of religion as they thought best. And whilst 
he made no formal declarations of his opinions, by connecting himself 
with any religious body, he contributed freely to the support of all; and 
what was still better, he illustrated and adorned the genuine Christian 
character, by deeds of benevolence and charity, and by an upright walk 
and conversation. And believing as the writer firmly does, that his exam- 
ple commends itself to the reader, we leave what we have written, with 
sorrowful feelings for the loss of one, with whom we have enjoyed so many 
hours of social companionship,-and can say, with many of his youthful 
associates, 
Green be the turf above thee, 
Friend of my early days; 
None knew thee but to love thee. 
None named thee buttopraise."