2
OBITUARY 40 1 mathematics, provided him with a full and contented life. His last illness, caused by a cerebral neoplasm, was borne without complaint and ended with the tranquillity which was characteristic of his whole being. He left a widow and one daughter who, as a successful constructional engineer, is applying the mathematical training which her father bestowed on her. J. B. DUGUID. George WGliItiam Dunkin 1886-1942 G. W. DUNKIN died at Compton, Berkshire, on 21st March 1942, at the age of 55. He was born at Canterbury and received his early education at Simon Langton School. In 1908 he graduated as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons from the Royal Veterinary College, London, and in 1910 obtained the diploma of veterinary hygiene at the University of Liverpool. During the next four years he was engaged in general veterinary practice in Canterbury, until in 1914 he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He was stationed in Canterbury until 1915, when he was posted to Egypt. His service there included duty at the 21st Veterinary Hospital : later he was promoted major and commanded the 20th Veterinary Hospital from 1917 to 1919. He was mentioned in despatches. On demobilisation he again took up practice in Canterbury and continued there until, in 1923, he was appointed superintendent of the Medical Research Council's farm laboratories at Mill Hill. In 1937 he was appointed the first director of the field station of the Agricultural Research Council a t Compton, a post which he held until his death. Dunkin will probably be best remembered for his work on canine distemper. In association with Gye and later with Laidlaw, he carried out an investigation into the cause of this disease, the results of which definitely established the role played by the filterable virus and confirmed the earlier observations of CarrB. These workers also showed that the ferret is highly susceptible to infection with the virus and, using the dog and the ferret, they elaborated methods of immunisation which form the basis of the present-day methods of the prophylactic and therapeutic control of the disease. I n addition to the actual research, Dunkin was largely responsible for the elaborate methods of isolation practised during the investigations, without which the work could not have been brought to its successful conclusion. In addition he studied Johne's disease in cattle and was responsible for the introduction of the JOWN. OB PATH.-VOL. LIV 2c

George William Dunkin, 1886–1942

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: George William Dunkin, 1886–1942

OBITUARY 40 1

mathematics, provided him with a full and contented life. His last illness, caused by a cerebral neoplasm, was borne without complaint and ended with the tranquillity which was characteristic of his whole being. He left a widow and one daughter who, as a successful constructional engineer, is applying the mathematical training which her father bestowed on her. J. B. DUGUID.

George WGliItiam Dunkin 1886-1942

G. W. DUNKIN died at Compton, Berkshire, on 21st March 1942, at the age of 55. He was born at Canterbury and received his early education a t Simon Langton School. In 1908 he graduated as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons from the Royal Veterinary College, London, and in 1910 obtained the diploma of veterinary hygiene a t the University of Liverpool. During the next four years he was engaged in general veterinary practice in Canterbury, until in 1914 he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He was stationed in Canterbury until 1915, when he was posted to Egypt. His service there included duty at the 21st Veterinary Hospital : later he was promoted major and commanded the 20th Veterinary Hospital from 1917 to 1919. He was mentioned in despatches. On demobilisation he again took up practice in Canterbury and continued there until, in 1923, he was appointed superintendent of the Medical Research Council's farm laboratories at Mill Hill. In 1937 he was appointed the first director of the field station of the Agricultural Research Council a t Compton, a post which he held until his death.

Dunkin will probably be best remembered for his work on canine distemper. In association with Gye and later with Laidlaw, he carried out an investigation into the cause of this disease, the results of which definitely established the role played by the filterable virus and confirmed the earlier observations of CarrB. These workers also showed that the ferret is highly susceptible to infection with the virus and, using the dog and the ferret, they elaborated methods of immunisation which form the basis of the present-day methods of the prophylactic and therapeutic control of the disease. I n addition to the actual research, Dunkin was largely responsible for the elaborate methods of isolation practised during the investigations, without which the work could not have been brought to its successful conclusion. In addition he studied Johne's disease in cattle and was responsible for the introduction of the

JOWN. OB PATH.-VOL. LIV 2 c

Page 2: George William Dunkin, 1886–1942

402 GEORGE WILLIAM DUNKIN

intradermal test with johnin for the diagnosis of this disease. His work included the preparation of johnin from cultures grown on a synthetic medium. While at Mill Hill he also cultivated the acid- fast organism associated with Johne’s disease in sheep.

Dunkin was held in high esteem in the veterinary profession and had many honours bestowed on him, including the victory medal from the Central Veterinary Society in 1929, the Dalrymple- Champneys award by the National Veterinary Medical Association in 1936 and the Steel memorial medal by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1941.

In addition to his many activities at Mill Hill and Compton, Dunkin took an active part in the general affairs of the veterinary profession and allied bodies. At the time of his death he was chairman of the examination committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and had been president of many of the branches of the National Veterinary Medical Association. He was at one time president of the section of comparative medicine in the Royal Society of Medicine and it was largely due to his efforts that the Veterinary Research Club was brought into being.

Courage and determination were characteristic of the man. Only one so endowed could have brought to fruition the prolonged and complicated research on canine distemper in which he engaged. One recalls the breakdowns in the system whereby infections crept in and necessitated a completely new beginning with still more stringent isolation and supervision ; one thinks of his patient and long-term work in the study of Johne’s disease and johnin, and of the fact that Dunkin, a general practitioner of veterinary medicine and not originally a worker in the laboratory, had by perseverance acquired the necessary skill at the bench to enable him to pursue his researches with such notable success.

T. DALLING.