James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish ( Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish ( Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of O ...
, organic chemist, and university professor.
He was the first to identify a
taxidermied
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...
fish as a
coelacanth
The coelacanths ( ) are fish belonging to the order Actinistia that includes two extant species in the genus ''Latimeria'': the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (''Latimeria chalumnae''), primarily found near the Comoro Islands off the east coast ...
, at the time thought to be long extinct.
Early life
Born in
Graaff-Reinet
Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province. It is also the sixth-oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was the ...
, 26 September 1897, Smith was the elder of two sons of Joseph Smith and his wife, Emily Ann Beck.
Educated at country schools at
Noupoort,
De Aar
De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of around 42,000 inhabitants.
It is the second-most important railway junction in the country, situated on the line between Cape Town and Kimberley. The junction ...
, and
Aliwal North, he finally
matriculated in 1914 from the
Diocesan College
The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established on ...
,
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.
History
Four years after the first Dutch s ...
.
He obtained a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in chemistry from the
University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1916 and a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
degree in chemistry at
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
in 1918. Smith went to the United Kingdom, where he received his PhD at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1922. After returning to South Africa, he became senior lecturer and later an associate professor of organic chemistry at
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...
in
Grahamstown
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...
.
From 1922 to 1937, he was married to Henrietta Cecile Pienaar, who was a descendant of
Andrew Murray, and whose father was a minister of the
NG Kerk at
Somerset West. Three children resulted from the marriage.
In
Grahamstown
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...
, he met
Margaret Mary Macdonald
Margaret Mary Macdonald was a Canadian politician. On May 29, 1961 she became the first woman to represent Prince Edward Island in the House of Commons of Canada.
She first won representation for the electoral district of King's at the House o ...
, born at
Indwe in the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
on 26 September 1916.
After her school education, she studied at
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...
, where she obtained a bachelor of science degree in physics and chemistry. She had intended to study medicine, but in 1938, married Smith and became his assistant in the Department of Ichthyology at the university.
His interest in ichthyology was sparked in childhood during a vacation in
Knysna
Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 4 ...
.
Discovery of the coelacanth
In 1938, Smith was informed of the discovery of an unusual and unidentified fish by
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator of the
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...
Museum. When he arrived in
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...
in February 1939, he was able to identify it immediately as a
coelacanth
The coelacanths ( ) are fish belonging to the order Actinistia that includes two extant species in the genus ''Latimeria'': the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (''Latimeria chalumnae''), primarily found near the Comoro Islands off the east coast ...
, which was then thought to have been extinct for over 65 million years, and he named the species ''Latimeria'' after her. In December 1952, Professor Smith acquired another specimen which had been caught by a fisherman named Ahmed Houssein off the
Comoros Islands
The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwe ...
. Local trader Eric Hunt had cabled Smith, who then persuaded the South African government to fly him in a
SAAF Dakota to collect the preserved fish for study at
Grahamstown
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...
.
Smith and his wife Margaret worked jointly on the popular ''Sea Fishes of Southern Africa'', which was first published in 1949, followed by other writings until 1968. Among these were over 500 papers on fishes and the naming of some 370 new fish species.
Death and legacy
Smith took his own life on 8 January 1968 by
cyanide poisoning
Cyanide poisoning is poisoning that results from exposure to any of a number of forms of cyanide. Early symptoms include headache, dizziness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and vomiting. This phase may then be followed by seizures, ...
. According to those who knew him, he had said years earlier that he had no intention of living past 70. In the same year,
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...
established the
J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology in his memory and to honour his lifetime achievements in ichthyology. His widow, Prof. Margaret Smith, who had worked with her husband for 30 years, was appointed the first director, with a staff of five. Margaret Smith embarked on a recruitment drive to attract ichthyologists and to train African ichthyologists. In 1977, the large, three-storey building, which was designed and constructed in Somerset Street to house the Institute, was officially opened.
This is now the
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), is involved in research, education and in applications of its knowledge and research to African fish fauna, for either economic or conservation benefit.
The institute originally estab ...
in Grahamstown. Smith's son is the renowned
South African television
Television in South Africa was introduced in 1976. South Africa was relatively late in introducing television broadcasting to its population.
History Opposition to introduction
The first proposal to introduce television in South Africa was ma ...
science and mathematics teacher
William Smith.
Taxon named in his honor
''
Omobranchus smithi''
( Rao, 1974) is a species of
combtooth blenny named for him.
Taxon described by him
*See
:Taxa named by J. L. B. Smith
References
Further reading
*
*
* Hoese, D.F., 1986. Gobiidae. p. 774-807. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
External links
Smith's communications upon discovery of the CoelacanthIchthyological BulletinJLB Smith Collection Papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, J. L. B.
1897 births
1968 suicides
People from Graaff-Reinet
South African people of British descent
White South African people
Rhodes University academics
South African ichthyologists
Suicides in South Africa
Suicides by cyanide poisoning
Stellenbosch University alumni
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
20th-century South African zoologists