South African science: standing on the shoulders of giants
South African science: standing on the shoulders of giants
For South African scientific and technological innovation to thrive, we need not only brilliant scientists but also world class facilities in which they can work. Fortunately we have been blessed with some outstanding individuals, with both research and administrative skills, who have lead the way in establishing this infrastructure. They have included Dr HJ van der Bijl (Eskom, Iscor), Sir Basil Schonland (Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, CSIR), Dr JH van Eck (Eskom, Iscor, Sasol, Industrial Development Corporation) and Sir Arnold Theiler (Onderstepoort Institute of Veterinary Research).
Arnold Theiler qualified as a veterinary surgeon in Switzerland, coming to South Africa in 1891 at the age of 24. At the time, South African farmers were skeptical of foreign experts and their research-based approach. In their opinion, they ‘knew’ their horses and cattle, and the standard remedy. For example, pouring half a bottle of linseed oil down the horse’s throat for horse sickness. Rinderpest outbreaks were regarded as ‘God’s judgment on the people’ – to be countered by days of prayer.
Theiler’s breakthrough came in 1893, when there was an outbreak of smallpox in Johannesburg. The State authorities found that there was a severe shortage of vaccine, and Theiler was asked to solve the problem. Fortunately, during his training in Switzerland, he had learned the comparatively simple process of producing the lymph. Within a few weeks he had produced all the lymph and vaccine that was needed.
He gradually established his reputation by using his research results to control or restrict the impact of rinderpest, horse sickness, biliary fever, gall sickness, wireworm, red water fever, East Coast fever, blue tongue, ‘geel dikkop’, ‘lamsiekte’ and a variety of other farm stock diseases. He became South Africa’s Pasteur, Lister, Koch and Jenner all rolled into one!
A classic example of his practical approach was his discovery of the cause of ‘lamsiekte’, which was costing South African farmers thousands of lambs a year. He discovered that the disease was a form of food poisoning caused by the habit of licking old bones in the veld. This was caused, in turn, by a phosphorus deficiency in the soil. His remedy: clear away old bones, and provide bone meal licks!
By now he had been appointed State Vet and was provided with funds by the new Prime Minister, Louis Botha (himself a farmer), to establish Onderstepoort. Later he established a Veterinary Faculty at Onderstepoort, with the University of Pretoria as its alma mater. It became a model for veterinary research worldwide and was imbued with the Theiler motto, ‘Find out!’
Theiler retired from government service in 1927 (aged 60) at the height of his powers and returned to Switzerland. He subsequently worked in Australia and Britain, and eventually retired in London. He died in 1936, but not before returning to the research laboratories at his beloved Onderstepoort for 15 months of blissfully happy research.
Theiler received honours and awards from many countries. Whenever a veterinary problem arose, even in the remotest places, vets would ask, ‘What would Theiler say?’
He spoke German, French, English, Afrikaans, High Dutch, Spanish and Italian (all with a foreign accent), was an authority on antiques, and loved good music. He lived a long, happy life and made the world a better place for millions of animals (and their human keepers). His brilliant son, Max, followed in his footsteps, but, sadly, Arnold did not live long enough to witness him win a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on the development of a safe and effective yellow fever vaccine.
But the most remarkable thing about Arnold Theiler was that he did everything with one hand! Shortly after arriving in South Africa he was involved in an accident, and his left hand was amputated at the wrist. He carried out tens of thousands of post-mortems and operations on live animals with only his right hand!
Mike Bruton is the Director of Imagineering at MTE Studios, Cape Town. www.mtestudios.com
