Page 42 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

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ERSTEPOORT 100
P.L. (Pierre) le Roux appears to be a rather enigmatic character. He was awarded a BSc degree by the University of Edinburgh and also held an MRCVS qualification. He seems to have been employed at the Institute du- ring the period 1929 to 1931. However, from his own accounts he was already working as a research officer at the Allerton Laboratory in 1925. He was remarkably productive during his short time at the Institute and described a number of helminths from wild animals, including various species of Haemonchus. With Veglia he also described Schistosoma mattheei, a southern African schistosome that can cause schistosomosis (bilharziasis) in domestic and wild animals, and perhaps also in humans. Furthermore he described the epidemiology and clinical pathology of two outbreaks of conical fluke in sheep as well as giving a brief description of the life cycle of the trematode in its freshwater snail intermediate hosts and in its final sheep hosts. He left the Institute for Zimbabwe soon after this.
Gertrud Theiler was awarded a doctorate by the University of Neuchâtel for a ground- breaking study of worms of equids in South Africa. On joining the staff of the Institute in 1940 her taxonomic talents were direc- ted towards the study of ticks, but after her retirement she returned to the field of helminthology. However, failing eyesight
132 prevented her from completing the host- parasite lists that she was compiling for the worms that infect African wildlife.
In 1932 Mönnig was joined by R.J.
(Rhein) Ortlepp, also South Africa-born.
Ortlepp trained as a zoologist and had been
awarded a PhD in Zoology (Helmintholo-
gy) by the University of London. He ob-
tained a DSc from the same institution in
1936. He was an active researcher and in
the same year that he was appointed at
the Institute he described new species of
helminths from cranes and bats, naming one
of the helminths from the bats Physaloptera
bedfordi after Bedford, who had placed
the bats at his disposal. He described many
helminths from wildlife during his working
life, and had a most impressive collection
of reprints, which are still housed at the
Institute. He always amazed his colleagues
with his ability to recall the contents of
these publications. Upon Mönnig’s resignation, he became responsible for the lectures in Helminthology presented to
R.J. Ortlepp was an internationally acknowledged nematode taxonomist who specialized in helminths of wild animals
the veterinary students. He was a rugby enthusiast and from 1950 until the time of his death he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Northern Transvaal Rugby Union. He retired in 1954, but continued to work at the Institute until shortly before his death in 1964. Incidentally, Ortlepp, together with Horak and Nevill, formed a trio of Maritzburg College old boys who were to influence various aspects of veterinary parasitology at the Onderstepoort complex
“Ortlepp described many helminths from wildlife during his working life, and had a most impressive collection of reprints, which are still housed at the Institute. He always amazed his colleagues with his ability to recall the contents of these publications.”
for an uninterupted period of 75 years commencing in 1932 until the present day.
PART 3
History of Individual Disciplines
1908-2008
Years