[2] When he was young, the family moved to a farm in Chester, Vermont, where Nathan attended public school.

Smith spent three years with Dr. Goodhue at Putney, Vermont, then opened his own practice at Cornish, New Hampshire.

[2] Initially the only member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty, Smith taught anatomy, chemistry, surgery, and clinical medicine.

Smith emphasized experience rather than theory, and he largely eschewed bleeding and purging, favoring support of the body's own healing powers and attentiveness to the patient's comfort.

Using these principles, he was a consultant on the child Joseph Smith, the future founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, saving his leg from amputation.