The Natural 

 History Library 



makes available in paperback 

 format books of enduring in- 

 terest in the life and earth 

 sciences. Published in co-op- 

 eration with The American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History by 

 Doubleday Anchor Books, this 

 series introduces the student 

 and the general reader to the 

 study of man— his origins, his 

 nature, and his environment— 

 and to the whole natural world, 

 from sub-microscopic life to 

 the universe at large. 



A Doubleday 

 Anchor Book 



FROM FISH TO 

 PHILOSOPHER 



"From Fish to Philosopher is a broad 

 epic of life, based on the special knowl- 

 edge of an eminent physiologist. The 

 kidney, more than any other organ, is 

 responsible for maintaining the internal 

 environment of the body. In this book 

 Homer Smith shows how kidney function 

 has permitted adaptation of animals to 

 the diverse waters and lands of the 

 earth. He further discusses how a regu- 

 lated internal environment has accom- 

 panied the expansion of consciousness 

 and led finally to the thought of the 

 philosopher and the dexterity of the 

 musician." — George Gaylord Simpson, 

 Alexander Agassiz Professor of Verte- 

 brate Paleontology, Harvard University. 



HOMER W. SMITH was born in Denver, 

 Colorado, in 1895. He received his A.B. 

 from the University of Denver and his 

 Sc.D from Johns Hopkins University. Pro- 

 fessor Smith, an authority on the physi- 

 ology of the kidney, is currently chair- 

 man of the Department of Physiology at 

 the New York University School of Medi- 

 cine and former president of the Mount 

 Desert Island Biological Laboratories, 

 His many books include Principles of 

 Renal Physiology, Kamongo, The End of 

 Illusion, and Man and His Gods. 



The foreword for this revised edition has 

 been written by Dr. Evelyn Shaw, Re- 

 search Associate in Animal Behavior, 

 American Museum of Natural History. 



Cover design by Sydney Butchkes 

 Cover drawing by Enid Kotschnik 



