The scholarly work of James Smiley.

Jim Smiley (1907-1988) was the most important and eminent occupational medical specialist Ulster has produced this century, perhaps ever. From a provincial base as industrial medical officer to several Belfast companies, most notably Short Bros. and Harland, and as Appointed Factory Doctor for East Belfast, he scaled every peak the practising specialty had to offer in these islands, as well as gaining unique international recognition. In summary: to his primary degrees (Queen's, 1930) he added MD "with high commendation" (1946) and DIH (1948); he was a long-serving council member and (in 1967) the only Irishman to be president of the then Association of Industrial Medical Officers, UK (now the Society of Occupational Medicine)*; he was a Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (1976), its first vice-dean and later (1981-83) its dean; he was elected an ad eundem Member (1976) and then Fellow (1978) of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and an honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of London (1982); in 1984 he was chosen to join les superbes of the exclusive Ramazzini Club (confined to 25 members from each of USA and Europe); and became MD again of Queen's in 1986, this time honoris causa, "for services to occupational medicine". His early OBE (1960) recognised his contributions to industry and presaged further ones. In 1988 a handsome endowment from his family enabled the Irish Faculty to do what it so dearly wished to, namely establish a Smiley Memorial Lecture and Gold Medal. Dr Jack Eustace, the Faculty's first dean, inaugurated the annual series in November of that year.' I was privileged in 1989 and Emeritus Professor Richard Schilling in 1990.2