Obituary

736

ObituaryEDWARD NEWBURY THORNTON

K.B.E., M.R.C.S.

Sir Edward Thornton, formerly chief medical officerfor the Union of South Africa, whose death was announcedin our last issue, was born at Sporle, in Norfolk, in 1878.Educated at Cheltenham College, he took the Conjointqualification from the London Hospital in 1902, afterserving as an assistant medical officer in yeomanryhospitals during the Boer War in 1900-01. In 1903 hereturned to South Africa to serve as a medical officer inCape Colony, and seven years later, on the formation ofthe Union, he was appointed medical adviser to the Capeprovincial administration.

In the war of 1914-18 he served as medical officer inthe South-West campaign before coming to Englandto command the South African Hospital at Richmond,where he introduced a vocational training scheme whichwas later extended to all military hospitals in the UnitedKingdom. For his services he was appointed O.B.E. in1917, c.B.E, in 1918, and E.B.E. in 1919.

In the following year he returned to South Africa totake up the appointment of senior assistant medicalofficer for the Union and of director of the medicalservices of its Defence Forces. In 1920 he visited Nigeriaand in 1930 Uganda to advise their governments onplague. Two years later he became secretary for publichealth and chief health officer of the Union, and heheld these posts till he retired in 1936. But as chairmanof the Peri-Urban Areas Health Board he continued toserve the Union, and during the last war, as actingdirector-general of medical services, he fostered the useof occupational therapy in its military hospitals.

Especially interested in housing and in social medicine,Sir Edward published, with Manfred Nathan, K.c., anextensive commentary on the public-health, housing,and slum Acts of the Union, which is widely used as areference book. He also sponsored the District Surgeonsand Midwifery Act, which enabled the Union governmentto subsidise these services and made it possible for localauthorities to introduce and extend them, especially inrural areas. A man of personal integrity and honesty ofpurpose, he had a real interest in all things concerningpublic health and social welfare, and he achieved muchin the service of the people of South Africa.

A. J. 0.

LEROY UPSON GARDNERM.D. YALE

Dr. L. U. Gardner, who died on Oct. 24, at the age of 57,had made himself a leader in experimental research insilicosis and had won an international reputation for hislaboratory at Saranac Lake, in the Adirondack Mountains.Here, as director of the Trudeau Foundation, he was anoutstanding figure among a famous team which includedsuch men as Baldwin, Lawrason Brown, Heiser, andSampson; and the little town owed much of its atmosphereof friendliness and earnest truth-seeking to his large-mindedness and integrity.Born in New Britain, Connecticut, Gardner took his

medical degree at Yale University in 1914, and afterserving in the army medical corps he returned there asassistant professor of pathology in 1917. Two years laterhis long association with the Trudeau Foundation beganwhen he was appointed pathologist at Saranac. In 1927he became director of the Saranac laboratorv and in1938 director of the foundation. Three years before hehad been awarded the Trudeau medal for his work on thepathology of tuberculosis and its relation to silicosis,and in 1940 he received the William S. Knudsen awardfor his research into the control of silicosis. In the sameyear Yale conferred on him the honorary degree of M.S.

Recalling a visit to Saranac, Prof. E. L. Collis writes :" Gardner had already embarked upon his research intothe reactions of the human body to its environment, asexemplified by the inhalation of industrial dusts. Firstcame silica, concerning which, although working inde-pendently of Kettle, he showed how, by animalexperiments, whorled pulmonary fibrosis could beinduced. Hardly a year passed without him giving furthervaluable additions to our knowledge on the pneumo-conioses. He tackled asbestos dust and brought to light

its toxic powers. Hard, resistant carborundum-carbide of silicon-followed, only to be found innocuous.Then he studied the anthracosis of coal-miners anddemonstrated its entity. But probably his most recentwork on aluminium dust will be longest remembered tohis credit. Here was a metallic dust which he found notonly to be in itself harmless but to possess powers forrendering the deadly silica dust innocuous if inhaledwith it, and even to assist in its elimination from thelungs if inhaled after the silica dust has already beendeposited in the pulmonary tissues."

" Gardner gave the impression that he just couldn’thelp being a great man, but never that he was striving foreminence," writes A. I. G. McL. " In the States, wheredynamic personalities are common, he appeared indolentby contrast-not with the indolence of a Sir PercyBlakeney, but with the massive calm of a Red Indianbrave. But despite this apparent inertia his output wasprodigious and of first-rate quality. Tall and command-ing in presence, friendly and humorous, he was the idealchief because he always had time for the problems of hisstaff. I remember a 20-mile night drive with rattling tyrechains at a temperature of 40 below to a medical meetingin another small town in the snow mountains. Thepapers read at the meeting were diverse and patchy, butGardner summed them up at the end concisely with awarm friendliness which must have raised the temperatureone or two degrees. His clear, strong, honest prose stylemirrored his mind, and he had no use for the long orredundant word. Only recently I heard two people sayof one of Gardner’s statements-’ Well, if Gardner saysso, it must be right.’ I think the remark would havepleased him."

LUDWIG JULIUS BRUEHLM.D. BERLIN

Prof. L. J. Bruehl, the well-known marine biologist,died at Muheza, Tanganyika Territory, on Oct. 11after a distinguished and eventful career. Born at Breslauin 1870, he studied medicine at Berlin University, wherehe obtained his doctorate surnma cum laude in 1898.From 1894 he was an assistant at the institute of physio-logy in that university, till in 1903 he was appointedto the newly founded Institute and Museum for MaritimeSciences in Berlin. There he built up the sea-fisheryand other departments, becoming curator in 1909,a position he held until his retirement in 1930. Duringthe first world war, while serving in a military hospitalin East Africa, he was taken prisoner by the Britishin 1917 and repatriated under a Red Cross exchangesvstem a month before the Armistice. In 1919 he wasappointed to a chair at the institute and later becameassistant director. He also held lectureships at theLandwirtschaftliche Hochschule and the OrientalischeSeminar for tropical fishery. After his retirement he wasappointed honorary professor at the LandwirtschaftlicheHochschule, but on account of his Jewish descent hewas forced to leave Germany in 1934.

After he settled in Tanganyika his health began tofail, and in 1938 Hitler stopped his pension; but hisfortitude and sense of humour remained firm.

Births, Marriages, and DeathsBIRTHS

BiNTCMFFE.—On Nov. 8, at Birmingham, the wife of Mr. E. W.Bintcliffe, M.B.E., M.S., F.R.C.s.-a, son.

BoLTON.—On Oct. 29, in London, the wife of Dr. Reginald Bolton" -a son.BooG-ScoTT.-On Nov. 8, the wife of Dr. T. M. Boog-Scott-a son.MoLARDY.—On Nov. 4, in London, the wife of Dr. Turner McLardy-

a daughter.MARRIAGES

LocKHART-MuMMERT—CRERAR.—On Nov. 5, in London, HughEvelyn Lockhart-Mummery, F.R.c.s., to Jean Crerar.

DEATHSHou&HTON.—On Nov. 7, at Farnham Royal, Bucks, Colonel George

John Houghton, D.S.O., L.R.C.P.I., late R.A.M.C., aged 73.HUXLEY.-On Nov. 5, Henry Huxley, M.R.C.S., of Shackleford, Godal-

ming, aged 81.KiRELAXD.—On Nov. 7, at Cheltenham, Robert Kirkland, Ni.B.

Glasg., aged 88.LINDSAY.-On Nov. 9, in London, John William Lindsay, lf.B.

Aberd., aged 71.O’RE&AN.—On Nov. 3, at Whitchurch, Glam, William Franklin

O’Regan, M.B. N.U.I.WiLMOT.—On Nov. 6, Philip MeEinneII Corbould Wilmot, M.B.

Lond., aged 80.