George Smith ( 1895 – 1967)  

George Smith graduated from Manchester University in 1916 gaining an MSc two years later. Joining Boardman and Baron as a chemist he published works on textile chemistry.  

Mildew on cotton products for the Indian market was a problem, solved by using ‘shirlan' (salycilanilide) as a fungicide, and around 1923 –24 Smith became interested in this. He published his first mycological paper in 1928 entitled ‘The identification of fungi causing mildew in cotton goods: the genus Aspergillus' publishing part 2 in 1931, the year he moved to The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where he was to stay until he retired in 1961. Smith was involved in the discovery of the antibiotic ‘patulin' but was more interested in mycology and became a world authority both on aspergillus and penicillius.  

During the war he became one of the first specialists in ‘bio-deterioration', preventing mould causing equipment sent to the tropics to deteriorate.  

Smith was also interested in the larger types of fungi and was often seen on British Mycological society forays with a basket and walking stick.