SCIENCE MARTYR

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 157, 23 September 1927, Page 9

SCIENCE MARTYR

DEATH IN HOUR OF TRIUMPH PROFESSOR ADRIAN STOKES LAID LOW BY YELLOW FEVER British Wireless—Press Assn Copyright Received 11.35 a.m. RUGBY, Thursday. IT is revealed that Professor Adrian Stokes, the eminent pathologist, who has died at Lagos, was on the eve of an epoch-making discovery when he was struck by yellow fever. He went out last May to West Africa to engage in research work, as a member of the Rockfeller Commission, to investigate the disease that laid him low.

PROFESSOR STOKES was one of the foremost authorities on yellow fever and other tropical diseases, and messages of sympathy, in which tributes are paid to his great sacrifice in the interests of the native races of the tropics, have been received from many prominent scientists abroad.

In one of his last letters he announced that he had made quite definite and substantial progress toward solving the problem of the transmission of yellow fever, and its actual causative organism. He had done what had not been done out there before. He had succeeded in transmitting the infection to young chimpanzees by infecting them from the blood of human patients. He had also succeeded in infecting chimpanzees with yellow fever by means of mosquitoes, which had been fed on human patients. He added: “We have our fish hooked. It is now just a matter of landing him, unless we are careless or our tackle breaks. That is only a question of time. It may be years, but it must come.” It is not yet known whether the loss of this peerless pioneer in medical research will mean the loss of a

secret of Incalculable value In fighting yellow fever. It is hoped, however, that the discoveries may be worked out by his colleagues engaged at Lagos.—A. and N.Z.