On February 18, 2023, we lost a rare treasure of knowledge and inspiration in toxinology. Justin O. Schmidt was lit up with passion for biodiversity, particularly venomous hymenoptera and their human interactions. Justin, the “King of Sting”, was internationally famous for the “Schmidt sting pain index” (Schmidt et al., 1983; Schmidt, 2016). His publication of The Sting of the Wild in 2016 opened extraordinary doors for outreach that he masterfully turned into effective scientific communication about venomous arthropods. He had a truly unique combination of deep knowledge about venom, clinical effects of toxins, and natural history that, when channeled through his buoyant and gleeful enthusiasm, had a remarkably broad impact. His ability to translate science and inspire the public emerged from being a prolific scientist who advanced understanding of a range of organisms and clinical phenomena unified around a theme of arthropods. His contributions centered on topics ranging from the chemical composition of venom, clinical toxinology, Chagas disease, to hymenopteran and arachnid biology and diversity and are described in more detail below. Justin also had an extraordinary impact on the field of toxinology through his generous support of young scholars in the field. Justin is survived by his beloved wife Li Schmidt, MD, their two children Veris and Kalyan Schmidt, and his daughter and son Krista and Scott from his second wife Pat Figuli. Debra Schmidt was his first beloved wife, whom he met during his Masters degree in University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver Canada.
Greta J. Binford, Samuel D. Robinson, Stephen A. Klotz, Justin O Schmidt - His extraordinary impact on toxinology and arthropod biodiversity science, Toxicon, Volume 234, 2023, 107287, ISSN 0041-0101, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107287.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041010123002738)