TRAVIS BEQUEST

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 72, 17 December 1938, Page 12

TRAVIS BEQUEST

Decision Of Trustees Commended

TUBERCULOSIS RESEARCH

Dominion Special Service.

DUNEDIN, December 16.

■‘This has been a most outstanding year for medical research at the Medical School,” said Dr. C. E. Hercus, dean of the medical faculty at Otago University, when interviewed about the grant from the Travis Bequest, which will make £12,000 available for research into tuberculosis. “First of all, the setting up by the Government of a Medical Research Council ami the initial grant of £5OOO a year was a big step, as a large part of this work will be carried out at the medical school. Then comes this very encouraging grant from the trustees of the Travis Bequest, which opens a further chapter in the development of medical research in New Zealand.”

Dr. Hercus said that the decision of the trustees to concentrate their resources ou tuberculosis was a very sound one, for though there had been a noticeable decrease in the death-rate in New Zealand from this disease, the problem was still very formidable and was by no means solved yet. “I feel that in concentrating on tuberculosis the trustees have made a wise decision,” he continued, “and in placing their resources in the National Medical School they have been equally sqund, as this will secure the full cooperation of the whole teaching staff and extensile library facilities, and together there will be a very happy collaboration between the teaching and research branches. Teaching and research are natural affinities and the university atmosphere supplies the grasp of the principle that is required in the prosecution of any fundamental work.”

It was explained by Dr. Hercus that the specific problems to be dealt with would follow a long-term programme, attention being devoted to a study of the life history and nutritional requirements of tuberculosis baccillus and the reaction of the host to the parasite. Experimental work would also be correlated with clinical observations.