January 12, 1953--Dr. Ivan B. Smith, Appointed Township Physician

On this day in South Brunswick History…
January 12, 1953--Dr. Ivan B. Smith, Appointed Township Physician
by Ed Belding South Brunswick Historical Society

Dr. Ivan B. Smith (1908-1985) was a local general practitioner who served his community for thirty-eight years. His office was on Georges Road in Dayton. Along the way he became involved with the Township's First Aid Squad and the Volunteer Fire Department. He assisted rescue workers in emergency situations and gave physical examinations to firefighters in his spare time. Dr. Smith started his local practice here in 1940 after receiving his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. On April 11, 1950 he was appointed Medical Inspector at the Dayton School. On January 9, 1951, he became a member of the South Brunswick Board of Health. On January 12, 1953 (the historical calendar lists this date mistakenly as his demise), he was named Township Physician on a fee basis. Later, that same year, he was chosen as a reporter for the Middlesex County Medical Society. On August 22, 1956, he and Dr. Frank E. Bristol administered the Salk polio vaccine to five-hundred local children. Dr. Smith continued to serve on the South Brunswick Board of Health in the 1960's. He officially retired from medical practice in 1980.