The remarkable Dr Robertson

Abstract

S U M M A R YMuriel Robertson (1883Robertson ( -1973 was a pioneering protozoologist who made a staggering number of important contributions to the fields of parasitology, bacteriology and immunology during her career, which spanned nearly 60 years. These contributions were all the more remarkable given the scientific and social times in which she worked. While Muriel is perhaps best known for her work on the life cycle and transmission of the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei, which she carried out in Uganda at the height of a major Sleeping Sickness epidemic, her work on the Clostridia during the First and Second World Wars made significant contributions to the understanding of anaerobes and to the development of anti-toxoid vaccines, and her work on the immunology of Trichomonas foetus infections in cattle, carried out in collaboration with the veterinarian W. R. Kerr, resulted in changes in farming practices that very quickly eradicated trichomoniasis from cattle herds in Northern Ireland. The significance of her work was recognized with the award of Fellow of the Royal Society in 1947 and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Glasgow, where she had earlier studied, in 1948.

Acknowledging extraordinary women in the history of medical entomology

“…This assignment was remarkable, as others have stated in her biography: “The appointment at that period of a young woman to a post in tropical Africa was not only an indication of the reputation which her work upon trypanosomes had already earned, but of the opinion of the Appointing Committee of her strength of character and courage” [ 33 ]. In 1914, Dr. Robertson returned to the Lister Institute, where she remained until 1961 [ 33 , 40 ].…”

“…Dr. Robertson also contributed to many different topics of parasitology and bacteriology. She made significant advances in the study of the free-living ciliate Bodo caudatus [ 45 – 47 ], as well as in the immunology of trichomoniasis in cattle, including the development of a diagnostic agglutination test and studies on antibody responses in Trichomonas foetus infections [ 33 , 40 , 48 – 52 ]. Due to the increase in cases of bacterial gas gangrene in war wounds (World Wars I and II), she also studied bacterial agents, treatments and vaccines for these diseases [ 33 , 40 , 53 – 57 ].…”

“…She was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Glasgow in 1948, and was recognized a fellow of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and the Institute of Biology. In addition, Dr. Robertson was a founding member of the Society for General Microbiology, being on its council from 1945 to 1948, and was declared an honorary member in 1962 [ 40 ]. She was also a member of the Medical Research Club, the Society for Experimental Biology, and the Pathological Society.…”

“…Although she spent most of her life in London, Dr. Muriel Robertson had a deeply rooted affection for Limavady in Northern Ireland, where she died in 1973 [ 33 , 40 ].…”

Glasgow encounters with tropical diseases

“…The achievements of the second Glasgow graduate, Muriel Robertson (1883Robertson ( -1973, are discussed by Tansy Hammarton (2017). Muriel Robertson, the only woman in this pantheon of Scottish scientists, was a protozoologist who made major contributions in the fields of protozoology, bacteriology and immunology.…”