No, I am not talking about Maxwell Smart of the TV show. This guy got his name as a contraction for "smartass". He was just that, but he was no dummy. He began his neurosurgical residency a year or two after I did and became to topic of some horseplay at times. Smart was prone to put his foot in his mouth at times.
A couple of occasions come readily to mind. There was the time that he left my house after a party, and I cautioned him to be careful driving home with his wife. He replied that they would be fine. He knew the way well, and it was just like his wife, "same old road every night". Then there was the time that we had a PhD in neuroanatomy with us for a few weeks. He was our age and considering going to medical school. Smart shows up in the X-ray department while we are looking at cerebral angiogram films. He had not met the new man, so after introductions, he proceeded to explain some of the vascular anatomy of the brain to this guy. We all just stood around trying not to laugh while Smart just dug his hole deeper. The new man was gracious and let Smart rave onward. When we let Smart know about his goof, it just rolled off him.
You couldn't help but like Smart. He went on to a successful practice. He died a few years ago.
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