Page 13 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

culminated in a classical paper entitled ‘Phosphorus in the Livestock Industry’ by Theiler, P.J. du Toit, and Green which was published in 1924. The 12th Report of the Director of Veterinary Research, published in 1927, was
devoted in its entirety to lamsiekte, with Theiler, P.R. Viljoen, Green, du Toit, H. Meier and Robinson as co-authors. It is a masterpiece of detailed reporting on the meticulous research carried out during the preceding years.
During the course of 1928 Green suffered what was then called a ‘mental collapse’ or ‘suicidal clinical melancholy’, in modern terms probably severe depres- sion. Theiler, who was visiting Australia after his retirement in 1927, returned to Onderstepoort to support his friend and later accompanied him and his wife to London where he was hospitalized. By 1931 Green had recovered sufficiently to resume work but obtained a position at Weybridge and never returned to South Africa. During his career he was awarded the Senior Captain Scott Medal, the South Africa Medal and Fellowship of the Royal Society of South Africa, recognizing his contribu- tion to science in general and more specifi- cally to biochemistry. His responsibilities at Onderstepoort were taken over by A. I. (Avril) Malan, who continued the research on mineral deficiencies and the teaching of biochemistry to the veterinary students, and by H. (Hermann) Graf who established a section called Chemical Pathology which dealt mainly with problems related to dips and dipping. Graf eventually became Deputy Director of the Institute and part- time Professor at the Faculty where he served as Dean from 1955 until 1960, when he died in office. Research on the use and routine testing of dips continued under the guidance of J.R. (Johan) Malan.
ONDERSTEPOORT 100
western part of the country and turned a previously poverty- stricken area into a prosperous beef producing community. This prompted further research focused on determining the
optimal dose of bone meal under various conditions and later, when bone meal was in short supply and became expensive, the development of other forms of phos- phate supplementation. As an alternative to dosing, the use of soluble phosphate in drinking water was investigated, but this was eventually replaced by the use of combined salt and phosphate licks, which turned out to be the most economical and convenient practice.
In 1930 a nation-wide chemical survey
of natural pastures was launched. For 5
years samples of indigenous grasses and
other plants were collected every 3 months
from all over the country and analyzed for
P, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cl, protein and fibre. The
results, published in a series of papers, not
only confirmed a wide-spread phosphate deficiency in grassland pastures but also identified a serious protein deficiency, es-
pecially during the winter months. These
results were communicated to farmers by
all available means, e. g. by Green, Graf
and J.G. Bekker during the ‘demonstration
train’ project in 1926 (see Part 1), in popular
articles in the agricultural press, in talks at ‘Farmer’s Days’ and in radio talks by Bekker,
A.I. Malan and J.H.R. Bisschop between
1932 and 1943. J.G. Louw presented a 103 comprehensive report on the survey results
to the 4th International Grassland Congress
in 1939 and the well-known nutritionist
J.W. Groenewald gave a series of radio talks between 1944 and 1947, mainly on protein shortages and balanced rations.
Plant and microbial toxins and
nutritional requirements
A welcome addition to the phosphate studies followed the recruitment in 1930 of a biochemist, Claude Rimington, with a fellowship sponsored by the Imperial Agricultural Bureau to study plant intoxi- cations, more specifically geeldikkop or photosensitization in sheep. During his stay of seven years in South Africa Rimington identified phylloerythrin as the cause of
photosensitization and later became a leading world autho- rity on porphyrin metabolism. He also played an important role in establishing chemical research on plant toxins at
“In 1930 a nation-wide chemical survey of natural pastures was launched. For 5 years samples of indigenous grasses and other plants were collected every 3 months from all over the country and analyzed for P, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cl, protein and fibre.”
Following the discovery that phosphate
deficiency was responsible for the pheno-
menon of osteophagia (bone eating), a form
of pica in cattle which led to the ingestion
of botulinum toxin causing lamsiekte, the
feeding of bone meal was initially pro-
moted to combat this disease. It soon be-
came clear, however, that phosphate sup-
plementation also dramatically increased
growth, production and reproduction. It al-
so eliminated a condition called ‘stywesiekte’ in young animals, which turned out to be rickets. The simple expedient of feeding bone meal thus revolutionized farming practices in the north-
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnoly and Immunochemistry
1908-2008
Years