Karl Patterson Schmidt: Legacy

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Karl Patterson (K.P.) Schmidt was a world-renowned herpetologist and curator with The Field Museum from 1922 until 1957. He began his career at the American Museum of Natural History before coming the the Field where he took a post as assistant curator of reptiles and amphibians, eventually becoming chief curator of zoology in 1941. Among his numerous honors, Schmidt was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1932, and elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1956. Over the course of his career, Schmidt named more than 200 species of reptiles and amphibians; Many scientists named species and subspecies of reptiles and amphibians for Schmidt. 

While the manner of Schmidt's death added to his legend and was sensationalized in local papers and around the world (detailed briefly below), a lesser-known story about collecting a crocodile specimen while on expedition in Belize is equally incredible. Schmidt describes wading into a swamp and wrestling an injured 5'3" crocodile to shore in this passage from Crocodile Hunting in Central America. Chicago: Chicago Natural History Museum Press, 1952: 

Fearing that we would lose the only good-sized crocodile we had seen, I made a despairing grab for his eyes with thumb and finger. This proved to be a decidedly effective hold, for I had no difficulty in carrying him ashore. Changing my hold to the front of his jaws almost proved disastrous, for although it was easy to hold the jaws shut, he was able to twist over and over with astonishing rapidity, necessitating equally rapid changes of hands on his snout to avoid laceration by the sharp projecting teeth. 

On September 25, 1957, the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo sent a snake to The Field Museum for identification. Schmidt concluded that based on the snake's behavior, it was a boomslang, native to Sub Saharan Africa. After taking the snake from a colleague without precautions to prevent a bite, Schmidt was bitten on the thumb. The venom of the boomslang is a hemotoxin, which means that it disrupts blood coagulation in humans; essentially, as the venom spreads it causes fibrinogen in the bloodstream to form clots. The fibrinogen is then not available to stop bleeding. This leads to bleeding in major internal organs and possibly death. Schmidt did not seek medical attention, but kept a journal of the symptoms he experienced, recording all of the effects of the bite in graphic detail. Within 24 hours, Schmidt was pronounced dead. A transcript of his journal was published by the Chicago Tribune in an article titled "Diary of Snakebite Death!" on October 3rd, 1957. 

Read more about Schmidt's life and work in the following biographical works:

• A History Of Herpetology At The American Museum Of Natural History
• Karl Patterson Schmidt:  1890-1957 by Bob Inger (Obituary)
• Karl Patterson Schmidt, 1890-1957 by D. Dwight Davis
• The Work of Karl Patterson Schmidt By Stanley Field
• An Appreciation of Karl Patterson Schmidt By Clifford C. Gregg
• In the Steps of The Great American Herpetologist, Karl Patterson Schmidt
  By A. Gilbert Wright
• NPR Science Friday: Diary of a Snakebite Death

© The Field Museum, Z86242, Photographer unknown. Mr. Karl P. Schmidt [and friends] with British Honduras Lizards. Helmeted iguanas (Corytophanes hernandesii, FMNH 69225 and Corytophanes cristatus, FMNH 69226-28) from Gallon Jug, Belize.