John Gordon Smith (surgeon)

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John Gordon Smith (1792–1833) was a Scottish surgeon and an early professor of medical jurisprudence.

Life
- He studied in Edinburgh, graduating in 1810 with top honours in medicine.
- He joined the army as a surgeon and served with the 12th Lancers at the Battle of Waterloo, where he treated the commanding officer Frederick Ponsonby.
- After peace in 1815, he moved to London. He found it hard to establish a practice because his degree was Scottish.
- He became physician to the Duke of Sutherland and spent four years with him, writing on forensic medicine. He also worked as a surgeon at the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital.
- He lectured on medical jurisprudence at the Royal Institution (1825–1826) and at the Mechanics’ Institute. In 1829 he was elected the first professor of medical jurisprudence at University College London, but there were no required courses, and he resigned after two years.
- He edited the London Medical Repository for a time.
- He died in Fleet Prison in 1833 after fifteen months’ confinement. Smith was a reformer in both politics and medicine and a pioneer in medical jurisprudence; he campaigned for equal recognition of Scottish and English medical degrees, but was unsuccessful.

Works
- De Asthmati (Edinburgh, 1810)
- The Principles of Forensic Medicine (London, 1821; 2nd ed. 1824; 3rd ed. 1827)
- An Analysis of Medical Evidence (London, 1825)
- The Claims of Forensic Medicine (1829)
- Hints for the Examination of Medical Witnesses (1829)