Neil Hamilton Fairley
Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley | |
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First World War :
Second World War :
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Awards | Gordon Hamilton-Fairley (son) |
A graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he was resident of Ormond College, Fairley joined the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1915. He investigated an epidemic of meningitis that was occurring in Army camps in Australia. While with the 14th General Hospital in Cairo, he investigated schistosomiasis (then known as bilharzia) and developed tests and treatments for the disease. In the inter-war period he became renowned as an expert on tropical medicine.
Fairley returned to the
After the war Fairley returned to London where he became a consulting physician to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Wellcome Professor of Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. A serious illness in 1948 forced him to resign his professorship, but he retained his practice and membership of numerous committees, becoming an "elder statesman" of tropical medicine.
Early life
Neil Hamilton Fairley was born in
Neil was educated at
First World War
Fairley joined the
Fairley enlisted in the
While in Egypt, Fairley investigated schistosomiasis (then known as bilharzia). The disease was known to be caused by contact with fresh water inhabited by certain species of snails, and orders had been issued that prohibited bathing in fresh water, but the troops were slow to appreciate the danger involved. In its toxic phase, the disease was easily confused with typhus, so Fairley developed a complement fixation test for the disease along the lines of the Wassermann test.[9] He studied its pathology, confirming that the worms in the circulatory system could be cured by intravenous tartaric acid.[10] Fairley also studied, and later published papers on typhus,[11] malaria,[12] and bacillary dysentery.[13]
Fairley married Staff Nurse Violet May Phillips at the Garrison Church, Abbassia, Cairo on 12 February 1919. They divorced on 21 November 1924. Brilliant work in Pathology—the result of eighteen months of patient and skilful work in the laboratory of the 14th Australian General Hospital. His work on Bilharzia will be of untold value to the civilian population of Egypt.[16]
Between the wars
Fairley was one of a number of AIF officers granted leave "to visit various hospitals in the United Kingdom so that they become conversant with the latest developments in the medical sciences".
Fairley remained for less than a year before resigning to take up a five-year appointment in
In India, Fairley continued his research into schistosomiasis. The disease was unknown in India but snails were abundant and there was danger that troops returning from Egypt might introduce it. In the absence of human schistosoma, Fairley investigated bovine schistosoma, which infected water buffalo and other domesticated animals in the Bombay area. Experiments with monkeys proved that daily intravenous doses of tartaric acid were an effective treatment. Fairley also carried out pioneering work on Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis).[18] His main interest was tropical sprue, but he was unable to determine its cause or discover a cure. He contracted the disease himself and made some advances in its treatment. He was invalided out of India, and travelled to the United Kingdom to recuperate in 1925.[19] While in India he had met Mary Evelyn Greaves, and they were married at the Presbyterian Church, Marylebone, on 28 October 1925.[3][20]
Fairley returned to Australia in 1927 and rejoined the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He worked there for two years, collaborating with the new director,
In 1928, Fairley received an appointment in London as Assistant Physician to the
Second World War
Middle East
With the outbreak of the
In January 1941 the British Army began planning for
Fairley tackled an outbreak of bacilliary dysentery among the troops in Egypt. In most cases the patients recovered of their own accord but some cases of
Malaria again became a concern in the
South West Pacific
With the entry of
In General Sir
But Fairley's main concern was malaria. Despite the experience with malaria in the Middle East, most of the troops had a poor understanding of anti-malaria precautions and few medical officers had encountered the disease. In combination with critical shortages of drugs and anti-malarial supplies such as netting, insecticides and repellents, the result was a medical disaster. In the 13-week period from 31 October 1942 to 1 January 1943, the Army reported 4,137 battle casualties, but 14,011 casualties from tropical diseases, of which 12,240 were from malaria. The government grimly contemplated disbanding divisions to replace malaria casualties.[41] "Our worst enemy in New Guinea," General Blamey declared, "is not the Nip—it’s the bite."[42]
This caused Blamey to despatch a medical mission headed by Fairley to the United States and the United Kingdom in September 1942 to present the Army's case for a more adequate and equitable share of anti-malarial supplies. The mission was successful. Fairley was able to secure supplies and expedite the delivery of those that were already on order but held up for lack of shipping or priority. In bringing the problem to the attention of the highest allied military and civil authorities overseas, he lifted the global profile and priority of malaria control measures.[43]
It was calculated that Allied requirements for atebrin would be 200 long tons (200 t) per annum, of which 50 long tons (51 t) would be manufactured in the United Kingdom and 150 long tons (150 t) in the United States. American production in 1942 was estimated at 60 tons but efforts were soon under way to increase production. The possibility of producing atebrin in Australia was considered, but the drug was complicated to synthesise and required little shipping space, although steps were taken to produce mosquito repellent. As in the Middle East, the Army relied on a combination of quinine, atebrin and plasmoquine (QAP) to cure malaria. The United States and United Kingdom agreed to each produce two tons of plasmoquine each per annum. The requested drugs and supplies began arriving in December 1942.[44]
As "one of the reasons for the lamentable record in malaria control in 1942 and early 1943 was the absence of medical authority at the level of the theatre commander's headquarters",[45] Fairley suggested that there be a body responsible for co-ordinating the activities of all allied forces in the South West Pacific Area. General Blamey took the matter up with the General Douglas MacArthur,[46] the Supreme Commander. MacArthur, who had himself suffered an attack of malaria back in 1904 (and a serious relapse the next year),[47] created the Combined Advisory Committee on Tropical Medicine, Hygiene and Sanitation with Colonel Fairley as its chairman in March 1943. After its first meeting, Fairley met with MacArthur, who emphasised that he did not wish the committee to concern itself with matters of academic interest but to make concrete recommendations on essential medical matters. The committee proceeded to make a series of recommendations regarding training, discipline, equipment, procedures and priorities, which then went out as GHQ orders to all commands.[48]
Fairley's proposed use of atebrin as a prophylactic agent was accepted and Fairley switched the Australian Army over to using atebrin as a prophylaxis instead of quinine in March 1943. The most acute problem at this time was a shortage of atebrin. The Australian Army had only seven weeks' stock was on hand in March 1943 and US forces in both the South West Pacific and
Fairley was acutely aware that much remained unknown about malaria. In particular, he was interested in the possibility that sulphaguanidine (or a related sulphonamide) might be a causal prophylactic against malaria, as they could be manufactured in Australia, unlike atebrin and plasmoquine.[50] Fairley decided to establish a unit in Cairns to investigate malaria. The LHQ Medical Research Unit commenced work in June 1943.[51]
Fairley travelled to New Guinea at the end of June 1943 and arranged for Plasmodium falciparum cases to be evacuated to Cairns for treatment. As the flight time from Port Moresby to Cairns was only a few hours, this was considered safe, but since the disease can be fatal if not treated promptly, Fairley was concerned lest the cases be delayed for some reason. Movement Control suggested that a special priority be allocated to such cases, and Major General Frank Berryman suggested calling it priority Neil after Fairley himself. Because movement priorities had to have five letters, an extra L was added on the end. Priority Neill soon came to be applied to the entire Cairns project.[52]
The LHQ Medical Research Unit used
In June 1944, a conference was held at
Using draconian drills that required officers to place atebrin tablets in their men's mouths, the army attempted to reduce the incidence of malaria to zero. For the most part they were successful but in the
Later life
After the war Australian medical research was substantially reorganised, but Fairley joined the ranks of senior Australian medical scientists who spent the remainder of their professional lives in Britain. In London he became consulting physician to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Wellcome Professor of Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His early post war research was a continuation of his wartime work on malaria.[62] He became seriously ill in 1948 and his health steadily declined thereafter, forcing him to resign his professorship. He retained his practice and membership of numerous committees, becoming an "elder statesman" of tropical medicine.[63] In recognition of his service to tropical medicine, he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8 June 1950.[64]
Fairley's declining health prompted him to leave London and move to The Grove,
Medical awards and prizes
- 1920 Dublin Research Prize
- 1921 David Syme Research Prize and Medal
- 1931 Chalmers Medal for Research in Tropical Medicine
- 1945 Bancroft Memorial Medal
- 1946 Richard Pierson Strong Medal, American Foundation of Tropical Medicine
- 1947 Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh
- 1948 Moxon Medal, Royal College of Physicians
- 1949 Mary Kingsley Medal, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
- 1950 Manson Medal, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- 1951 James Cook Medal, Royal Society of NSW
- 1957 Buchanan Medal, Royal Society of London
Source: Boyd 1966, p. 141
Notes
- ^ a b c Boyd 1966, pp. 122–126
- ^ a b c Boyd 1966, p. 123
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d Ford 1969, p. 991
- ^ N. Hamilton Fairley and C. A. Stewart, Commonwealth of Australia Quarantine Service – Service Publication No. 9 – Cerebro-Spinal Fever (1916)
- ^ a b c d e f g Fairley, Neil Hamilton personnel file, NAA: B883 VX38970, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 8 May 2009
- ^ Chick 1956, pp. 172–208
- ^ Butler 1938, pp. 602–604
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 125
- ^ Butler 1938, p. 776
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 124–125
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 142
- ^ Butler 1938, pp. 459–460
- ^ "No. 31138". The London Gazette. 21 January 1919. p. 1165.
- ^ "No. 31093". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1919. p. 54.
- ^ Honours and Awards – Neil Hamilton Fairley (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016, retrieved 8 May 2009
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 127
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 127–128
- ^ a b c d Ford 1969, p. 992
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 140
- ^ Fairley 1929a
- ^ Fairley 1929b
- ^ a b Fairley 1929c
- ^ Fairley 1929d
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 129–130
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 130–133
- ^ Walker 1953, p. 32
- ^ a b Keogh 1966, p. 723
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 133
- ^ Walker 1953, p. 231
- ^ Walker 1953, pp. 230–231
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 133–134
- ^ a b Boyd 1966, p. 134
- ^ Walker 1952, p. 4
- ^ Walker 1953, pp. 357–359
- ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941. p. 7325.
- ^ Honours and Awards – Neil Hamilton Fairley (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2012, retrieved 8 May 2009
- ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941. p. 7357.
- ^ Sweeney 2003, p. 19
- ^ Walker 1953, p. 449
- ^ Defence Committee Agendum No. 14/1943, 4 March 1943, NAA: A5954 473/4
- ^ Sweeney 2003, p. 31
- ^ Walker 1952, p. 84
- ^ Walker 1952, pp. 84–89
- ^ Coates 1963, p. 540
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 33–34
- ^ James 1970, p. 90
- ^ Walker 1952, pp. 99–100, 111–112
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 75–76
- ^ Sweeney 2003, p. 40
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 135
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 47–48
- ^ Sweeney 2003, p. 262
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 223, 235
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 73–78
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 53–58, 64–65
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 55–58, 64–67
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 152–155
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 160–166, 191–194
- ^ Walker 1952, pp. 117–118
- ^ Sweeney 2003, pp. 167–190
- ^ Boyd 1966, pp. 138–139
- ^ Boyd 1966, p. 139
- ^ "No. 38930". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1950. p. 2810.
- ^ Channel 4 – History – The Year London Blew Up, Channel 4, retrieved 20 April 2009
- ^ "ART24271 – Brigadier Neil Hamilton Fairley". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ "ART27685 – Brigadier Neil Hamilton Fairley". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ Portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II For Auction at Bonhams and Goodman, Bonhams and Goodman, 26 April 2009, retrieved 8 May 2009
- ^ Museum buys Queen's favourite portrait, Nine-MSN, archived from the original on 9 May 2009, retrieved 8 May 2009
- ^ MS 065 – Fairley, Sir N H (1891–1966), Australian Academy of Science, archived from the original on 28 November 2010, retrieved 16 September 2010
- ^ Neil Hamilton Fairley Overseas Clinical Fellowship (PDF), National Health and Medical Research Council, archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011, retrieved 16 September 2010
References
- Boyd, John (November 1966). "Neil Hamilton Fairley 1891–1966". .
- Butler, A. G. (1938). Volume I – Gallipoli, Palestine and New Guinea. Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services 1914–1918. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 156690674. Archived from the originalon 28 June 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- .
- Coates, John Boyd Jr., ed. (1963). Volume VI: Communicable Diseases: Malaria. Preventative Medicine in World War II. Washington, DC: OCLC 227819150.
- S2CID 19368468.
- Fairley, N. Hamilton (1929a). "The present position of snake bite and the snake bitten in Australia". .
- Fairley, N. Hamilton (1929b). "The dentition and biting mechanism of Australian snakes". .
- Fairley, N. Hamilton (1929c). "Venom yields in Australian poisonous snakes". .
- Fairley, N. Hamilton (1929d). "Criteria for determining the efficacy of ligature in snake bite". .
- James, D. Clayton (1970). The Years of MacArthur Volume I, 1880–1941. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. OCLC 88071.
- Keogh, E. V. (8 October 1966). "Obituary: Neil Hamilton Fairley". The Medical Journal of Australia: 723–726.
- Sweeney, Tony (2003). Malaria Frontline: Australian Army Research during World War II. Carlton, Victoria: University of Melbourne Press. OCLC 52380928.
- OCLC 8324033. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- Walker, Allan S. (1953). Middle East and Far East. Australia in the War of 1939–1945 Series 5 – Medical. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 19769283. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
Further reading
- Doolan, Denise L (December 2021). "Malaria Research in Australia: Looking Through the Lens of the Past Towards the Future". International Journal for Parasitology. 51 (13–14): 1255–1263. S2CID 244085654.