Page 8 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

ONDERSTEPOORT 100
that Onderstepoort would be the central veterinary laboratory for the whole of South Africa with the existing laboratories at Allerton, Pietermaritzburg and Grahamstown being desig- nated sub-stations. The following comprised the directorate:
The Acting Principal Veterinary Officer of the Union of South Africa was C.E. Gray, with
J.D. Borthwick as his assistant. General elections were held later in 1910 and
the Union of South Africa became a self-governing state within the British Empire. Gradually, the ad- ministrative issues were resolved and Theiler’s appointment as Director of Veterinary Research
was eventually confirmed in 1912.
It was Theiler’s appointment
as Director that sealed the
souring relationship between
him and Watkins-Pitchford after
combining forces so well in 1896
to develop their RP vaccine. All
the available evidence suggests that Watkins-Pitchford was convinced that
he was Theiler’s superior as a veterina-
rian and researcher, and had expected to be appointed as Director. Theiler’s promo- tion was therefore undoubtedly a bitter pill for him to swallow. Moreover, the Natal press was vociferous in its support for their champion who had been ‘usurped by a foreigner’ thereby, no doubt, fanning Watkins-Pitchford’s ingrained xenophobia and professional jealousy.
Watkins-Pitchford, further influenced by the ‘support of local influential people’, did his own thing and refused to accept Theiler’s authority. Theiler reacted by complaining to the Minister in February 1912 that Watkins-Pitchford’s intransigence made re- organisation of his new division impossi- ble, whatever that may have meant. Botha consequently raised the problem with the Natal Members of Parliament who accused Theiler of professional jealousy as a result of their hero’s discovery of the control of ECF by short-interval dipping – discounted by Theiler because of his discovery of a ‘vaccine’ against the disease, which never
materialized – which was probably correct. But Botha insisted on having only one ‘boss’, namely Theiler, with Watkins- Pitchford under his direct supervision at Onderstepoort, to which the Natal parliamentarians agreed. Watkins-Pitchford was moreover opposed to the concept of a central laboratory and blatantly refused to work under Theiler. When informed of Botha’s decision, he resigned immediately despite having been offered an increase in salary from £700 to £1000 p.a., and left for England soon thereafter. The Allerton laboratory retained its status as regional laboratory for what is now known as the
KwaZulu-Natal province.
In 1914 King George V knighted Theiler
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (K.C.M.G). Glad- stone, the Governor General of the Union, officiated at the investiture in Cape Town with Theiler formally
attired in frock coat and top hat. The lamsiekte saga
Lamziekte (later called lamsiekte) in cattle was first investigated by Duncan Hutcheon shortly after his arrival in the Cape Colony
as colonial veterinarian in 1880. He observed that there appeared to be an association between the disease and the ingestion of carcass material (pica or osteophagia) and was of the opinion that the disease could be partially prevented by feeding crushed cattle bones. Lamsiekte became increasingly important in 1907/8 and J. Spreull, one of his veterinarians, was sent to Koopmansfontein (about 123km to the south-east of Kuruman) in October 1906 for further investigations. Hutcheon died in office in 1907, (5 months after his assistant, J.F. (Jotello) Soga had died), and the riddle of lamsiekte would only be solved many years later. In retrospect, however, Hutcheon (and J.D. Borthwick, also of the Cape Colonial
services) was oh so close!
Shortly after Union in 1910, lamsiekte
began to overshadow the animal disease research scene. A farmer, L.S. Meintjes, in- vented a ‘cure’ that comprised the dosing of cattle with a mixture consisting of one- third each of salt, bone meal and potassium nitrate – he thought it was caused by a nitrate deficiency – and marketed his idea commercially based on its effectivity. Another farmer controlled the disease successfully by cleansing his farm entirely
Acting Director of Veterinary Research Assistant Director
Assistant Director
A. Theiler
H. Watkins-Pitchford (Allerton)
W. Robertson (Grahamstown)
8
“In 1914 King George V
knighted Theiler Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (K.C.M.G). Gladstone, the Governor General of the Union, officiated at the investiture in Cape Town with Theiler formally attired in frock coat and top hat.”
PART 1
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute: General History
1908-2008
Years