Haverhill, Massachusetts,
but in what way connected is not known. Peter Smith was educated
at Princeton, and married in New Jersey to Catherine Stout (December
23, 1776), and he seems to have early, under his father, given some
attention to medicine, and became familiar with the works of Dr.
Rush, Dr. Brown, and other writers of his day on "physic." He
also, during his life, acquired much from physicians whom he met
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Georgia, Kentucky, and Ohio. He called himself an "Indian Doctor"
(because he sometimes used in his practice herbs, roots, etc., and
other remedies known to the Indians), though he was in no proper
sense such a doctor. He was an early advocate, much against public
prejudice, of inoculations for smallpox; this before Dr. Jenner
had completed his investigations and had introduced vaccination as
a preventive for smallpox.( 2)

Dr. Peter Smith, in his little volume (printed by Brown & Looker,
Cincinnati, 1813), speaks of inoculating 130 persons, in New Jersey,
for smallpox in 1777, using, to prevent dangerous results, with
some of them, calomel, and dispensing with it with others, but
reaching the conclusion that calomel was not necessary for the
patient's safety.

In this book, entitled _The Indian Doctor's Dispensatory_, etc.,
( 3) on the title-page he says: "_Men seldom have wit enough to
prize and take care of their health until they lose it--And doctors
often know not how to get their bread deservedly, until they have
no teeth to chew it_." He seems to have been an original character
and investigator, availing himself of all the opportunities for
acquiring knowledge within his reach, especially acquainting himself
with domestic, German, and tried Indian remedies, roots, herbs,
etc. In the Introduction to his book he says: "The elements by
Brown seem to me plain, reasonable, and practicable. But I have
to say of his prescriptions, as David did of Saul's _armour_, when
it was put upon him, '_I cannot go with this, for I have not proved
it_.' He thus chose his sling, his staff, shepherd's bag and
stones, because he was used to them, and could recollect what he
had heretofore done with them." The modern germ or bacilli theory
of disease, now generally accepted by learned physicians, was not
unknown or even new in his time. He speaks of it as an "_insect_"
theory, based on the belief that diseases were produced by an
invisible _ins