Page 48 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

ONDERSTEPOORT 100
The aetiology and epidemiology of the occurrence of epididymitis in virgin young rams maintained intensively on a high plane of nutrition has created considerable confusion and even controversy. In his studies on the aetiology and epidemiology of ram epididymitis in the early 1980s, Jansen came to the conclusion that the disease was caused by an ascending infection of bacteria, such as Actinobacillus seminis and Histophilus ovis, that are normal flora of the intestinal tract but became hormonally influenced, opportunistic invaders of the genital tract under certain conditions.
Equine influenza was unknown in South Africa until 1986 when it was introduced from over-
seas and adversely affected the horse
racing industry. The technology used to
produce an inactivated vaccine against the disease was available due to the foresight of B.J. Erasmus who had previously im- ported the relevant strains of the virus. This enabled him to produce a vaccine to control the disease in sufficient quantities within weeks of its first diagnosis.
director and director) had to await Bigalke’s departure, but eventually a non-veterinarian was appointed as head of the Institute, albeit in an acting position due to circumstances beyond his control.
With the assistance of his very experienced administrative staff, especially K.P. Naude, Bigalke made a determined attempt to retain the experienced leaders in the various research disciplines by ensuring that there were as many positions as possible, that could be justified by the existing span of control, on the salary notch of either a director or deputy director. The latter concession of having the senior posts on a
“Bigalke was a strong supporter of the initiatives that had been taken by A.J. Heyns, who was then director of the Research Institute for Fruit and Fruit Technology, a sister research institute of Onderstepoort, to transfer the research institutes of the Department of Agriculture to a parastatal body.”
salary scale which was one level higher than elsewhere in the Department of Agriculture had been made earlier by the government in an attempt to offer salaries that were more competitive with the earnings of veterinarians in the private sector. A formal investigation of the existing structure of the Institute by departmental officials eventu- ally led to the creation of 13 research sections headed by assistant directors (on the salary notch of a deputy director) and four deputy directors (on the salary notch of director).
This was the position in 1983, whereas 25 years previously there had been only one deputy director and four assistant directors. The comparative total personnel numbers were: 1034 in 1983 – an all time high
48
A textbook which was initiated in the early
1980s, was that on toxicology authored by
T.S. Kellerman, J.A.W. Coetzer and T.W. Naudé
entitled Plant Poisonings and Mycotoxi-
coses of Livestock in Southern Africa. It
was published in 1988 and soon received
international acclaim. It is a comprehen-
sive work of reference and was recently
updated, the second edition of the same title appearing in print in 2005 under the authorship of: T.S. Kellerman, J.A.W. Coetzer, T.W. Naudé & C.J. Botha.
– compared to 569 in 1958.
Bigalke was a strong supporter of the initiatives that
had been taken by A.J. Heyns, who was then director of the Research Institute for Fruit and Fruit Technology, a sister re- search institute of Onderstepoort, to transfer the research institutes of the Department of Agriculture to a parastatal body. However, this was destined to happen only after Bigalke was promoted to a more senior position in the Department. Heyns later became Director General of the Department of Agriculture and subsequently the first Presi- dent of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).
The Institute continued to serve as the OIE’s reference centre (first implemented in 1966) for the typing of strains of bluetongue and African horsesickness viruses. Erasmus had emerged as the Institute’s leading light in this regard and was internationally recognised as such. This meant that he was in great demand overseas and visited many countries, such as the USA, Australia, Spain, Portugal, the UK, France and Italy, at their expense, to inform and advise on all aspects of these diseases, including their prevention and control. Scientists who in turn visited Onderstepoort during this period inclu- ded K.M. (Kathy) Kocan, E.F. Blouin and J.E. Keirans from the USA, J.S. Gray from Ireland and L.L. Callow from Australia.
Bigalke was strongly in favour of continued education and promoted it as far as possible, even by going as far as foregoing personal visits overseas to enable more of his personnel to
Another textbook, also initiated in the early 1980s was that by J.A.W. Coetzer of the Institute, his co-editors being G.R. Thomson (Institute), R.C. Tustin and N.P.J. Kriek (both of the Onderstepoort Faculty), to succeed M.W. Henning’s internationally acclaimed Animal Diseases in South Africa of which the third and last edition was published in 1956. This impressive two volume book entitled Infectious Diseases of Livestock with Special Reference to Southern Africa, with its 107 participating specialist authors, could only be published in 1994 and is discussed in more detail later.
Bigalke had never been happy with the policy existing at the Institute that the top positions could only go to veteri- narians. This discriminatory practice had a very depressing effect on the non-veterinary scientists. The Institute lost some of its best scientists, such as Rimington and Huismans, who took on appointments elsewhere. Bigalke not only voiced his views about the inappropriateness of such a practice at an Institute where the quality of the research was the determining factor and not the nature of the qualification, but also ensured that when promotions to, for example, the management posts (assistant director) of the research sections were considered, a veterinary qualification was not a deciding factor. Promotion of non-veterinarians to more senior posts (that of deputy
PART 1
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute: General History
1908-2008
Years