Shufeldt's scientific interests began during his years in surgical practice. He had made zoological and botanical collections and had published extensively on osteology. He became an honorary curator at the Smithsonian Institution in 1882 and held it until 1892. He published as many as 1,100 notes and books, often on natural history but specializing in anatomy and systematics of birds which included a study of the last passenger pigeon. He had an interest in fossil birds and contributed to Alfred Newton's A dictionary of birds. He is credited with coining the word "paleopathology", the study of diseases and cause of death of decomposed specimens. He also took a great interest in the field of photography, using it to document birds as well as human anatomy. He published a report on taxidermy and a book Studies of the human form for artists, sculptors and scientists which included many nude photographs. He was also a collector of skeletons and was known to have dug up the graves of many Indian tribes. Shufeldt brought the work of Gerhard Heilmann, written in Danish, to the attention of American researchers.
Personal life
Shufeldt married three times, first to Catherine Babcock, then to Florence Audubon before marrying Alfhild Dagny Lowum, a Norwegian. The first wife Catherine committed suicide in an asylum. His second wife, Florence Audubon, left him after two months of marriage accusing him of adultery. Florence sought divorce on the grounds that Robert was having an affair with their Norwegian housekeeper, who would later become his third wife. Around this time he published a pamphlet titled On female impotency which included a photograph of a nude woman who he described as a mulatto but likely Ms. Audubon. This paper describing his personal problems, thinly veiled as medical research and meant to blackmail Florence, stated his affiliation to the Smithsonian Institution which outraged the Smithsonian leadership and led to his dismissal in 1897. Shufeldt refused to pay alimony following the divorce and claimed bankruptcy which was taken up in the US Supreme Court "Audubon v. Shufeldt, 181 US 575". He took back many of the specimens that he had collected for the Smithsonian and later deposited them with the New York State Museum. Other organizations like the AOU also attempted to distance themselves due to the potential for scandal and shame. Shufeldt had two sons from his first wife Catherine. Robert, who was interested in ornithology, died while collecting specimens for Marietta College. Family oral history, however, called this a hazing incident. Percy briefly attended Marietta College as well, and became a successful harvester and trader of chicle. A daughter, Catherine, died of diphtheria in childhood. A foster daughter was listed in the 1881 census as a nurse.
