Career
From 1898 to 1902 he worked in Belgium. In 1908 he moved to Palestine to manage the Hospice of Street Paul in Jerusalem until 1914, subsequently working in similar positions in Tabgha, Damascus and finally Haifa where he died. <He was one of the first advocates for the International Language Esperanto in Jerusalem.>
Schmitz is known for his extensive natural history studies, both on the island of Madeira, where he described the Madeiran wood pigeon and Zino"s petrel as well as studying the local ants, and in Palestine.