Page 15 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

of Mitchell to Allerton to deal with the problems in Natal. In addition to the five Swiss contract workers, the Onderstepoort staff had been joined by Mettam, a veterinarian from Ireland. A great disappointment to Theiler was the decision by F.B. Smith, who was Secretary of Agriculture since the inception of the Department and a great supporter of Veterinary Research, to return to England on 15 August.
On 15 September Theiler and Viljoen left for Switzerland for the year of study leave agreed to by Smuts, soon to be followed by E.M. Robinson who went to Bern to study bac- teriology, Green to the U.S.A. and U.K for biochemistry and Andrews to London for physiology. In addition to his study, Theiler was also mandated to buy equipment and to recruit additional personnel. He was especially interested in obtaining expertise in specialized pathology, plant physiology and toxicology. P.J. du Toit remained behind as Acting Director. The last few months of 1920 passed by rather uneventfully.
1921 was dominated by a severe drought and locust infestation, economic depression and in February, a general election. General Smuts and his South African Party won the election comfortably and appointed a
ONDERSTEPOORT 100
Vet. degree from the University of Bern. Theiler and Green both suffered from the after-effects of illness, however, probably reflecting the stress and hard work involved in their year of preparation.
1921 also saw the completion of the Biochemistry wing of the Main Building as well as the inauguration of the new building of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Pretoria by General Smuts in readiness for the enrolment in 1922 of the third group of students for the course in basic sciences required for the study of veterinary science. P.J.J. Fourie and M.W. Henning were seconded to the university to assist with this course. The first class of eight students, who completed the first 2 years of the course in 1921, was now ready to continue studying at Onderstepoort. Theiler had added two additional lecturers to his original group: Viljoen for applied research and special bacteriology, and Mogg for ecology, mycology and later, special botany. The team, including himself as lecturer in pathology, then totalled eight.
Early in 1922 Theiler again visited Armoedsvlakte where Mitchell had obtained excellent results with the feeding of bonemeal, both in preventing lamsiekte and in stimulating growth and production. For the first time cattle farming became economically feasible in the dry western parts of the country. Mitchell was soon to leave for training in advanced bacteriology in London, Utrecht and Paris and was replaced by Veglia. Robinson was posted to Allerton. Mogg and de Kock were also overseas for further training. The political stability in the country was severely affected by the general strike of miners on the
Witwatersrand in February and its drastic 15 military suppression by the government. It
also damaged the economy, already suffer-
ing from the continuing drought. Theiler
was still recovering from the pneumonia
which he contracted during his stay in Switzerland and was sent for 8 weeks to the South Coast to convalesce, leaving du Toit in charge again. In July an internal crisis hit Onderstepoort when anthrax broke out among its experimental animals. Kind, who produced the anthrax vaccine, was held responsible and his contract terminated, resulting in his taking the Minister to court over a salary dispute. Nagana was still causing problems in Natal, and Robinson and Curson
were tasked to initiate research on this disease.
Meanwhile the economic situation in South Africa
worsened into a severe depression with many farmers going bankrupt, being unable to find a market for their products. 1923 was also regarded as the worst year for African horsesickness in history. On a more positive note, two new buildings at Onderstepoort were completed: the pathology building with facilities for anatomical dissections and post- mortem examinations, and the new hospital building for teaching surgery and medicine.
new Minister of Agriculture, Sir Thomas
Smartt. In May, du Toit had discussions
with both Smartt and Smuts, inter alia on
the budgetary restrictions which had forced
the cancellation of important projects such
as an osteophagia survey in connection
with lamsiekte. They also discussed an
enquiry from F.B. Smith in London about
the possibility of training veterinarians at
Onderstepoort for the Colonial Office – an
attempt to assist other colonies in the British
Commonwealth. Du Toit reported to Theiler
that both these gentlemen were interested
in and sympathetic towards the activities
at Onderstepoort. Fortunately Theiler’s
funding for equipment was not affected
and during May no less than 200 – 250
crates containing apparatus arrived from Europe. Du Toit also had to deal with a growing agitation against ‘Swiss/German domination’ of veterinary research which had been raised by certain groups, especially in Natal. Even the newly established South African Veterinary Medical Association expressed its concern. This did not deter Theiler from recruiting two more Swiss scientists: Marguerite Henrici, as plant physiologist, and Werner Steck, pathologist, who both served the country well. Of the original five only one, Scheuber, remained permanently at Onderstepoort, while Zschokke moved to South West Africa, Kind went into private practice and two, Meier and Sharrer, returned to Switzerland when their contracts expired at the end of 1921. During the year Mitchell moved to Armoedsvlakte and was replaced at Allerton by Veglia who had returned from Italy. Theiler, Green and Viljoen returned from Europe in September, followed later by Robinson and Andrews. Viljoen and Robinson had both obtained a Dr.Med.
“1921 was dominated
by a severe drought and locust infestation, economic depression and in February, a general election.” General Smuts and his South African Party won the election comfortably and appointed a new Minister of Agriculture, Sir Thomas Smartt.”
Early days (1908-1927)
1908-2008
Years