Anton Breinl (2 July 1880 – 28 June 1944) was a
medical practitioner and
medical researcher, who established the
Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia.
Early life
Anton Breinl was born on 2 July 1880 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. He was the son of Anton Breinl, lace manufacturer in
Graslitz
Kraslice (; german: Graslitz) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. It was a large and important town until the World War II. It is known for manufacture of musical instrumen ...
,
Bohemia (now
Kraslice
Kraslice (; german: Graslitz) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. It was a large and important town until the World War II. It is known for manufacture of musical instrum ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
) and his wife Leopoldine (née Stammhammer).
He was educated in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and then took his medical degree at
Prague University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, underg ...
.
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Breinl worked at the
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is a higher education institution with degree awarding powers and registered charity located in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Established in 1898, it was the first institution in the world dedicated ...
. He was an exceptional medical scientist who had received awards for his contribution to tropical medicine, particularly for his work with
Harold Wolferstan Thomas
Harold Wolferstan Thomas (1875–1931) was a Canadian doctor, noted for his research in the field of tropical medicine.
Early life
Harold Wolferstan Thomas was born in 1875 in Montreal, Quebec, the son of the banker Francis Wolferstan Thomas (1834 ...
, on a cure for
sleeping sickness
African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. It is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma brucei''. Humans are infected by two typ ...
. The treatment he helped develop, using an organic arsenical "
atoxyl", later became a corner stone in the early development of
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
.
Australian Institute for Tropical Medicine
In 1908, responding to the concerns of the medical profession and the community, the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
decided to establish an institute in
North Queensland, although some concern was expressed about the distance of the research centre from southern medical schools. While generally the medical profession hoped that the inaugural doctor would be Australian, Anton Breinl was appointed and arrived in Townsville on 1 January 1910.
Breinl and his laboratory assistant Fielding, were the only members of the new Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine. They were housed in a three-room building which had been a wardsman's quarters in the grounds of Townsville Hospital. Part of the work included field work collecting native fauna for examination in the laboratory, examining data for medical practitioners and collection of data.
By 1911 Breinl was able to show the need for more staff and better premises when the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
gave approval for expanded research into physiological and anthropological problems associated with white people living in the tropics. To facilitate this growth in research a new laboratory and animal house was constructed. The new Institute was opened on 28 June 1913 by Queensland Governor, Sir William MacGregor.
In 1912 the staff was increased to six with the employment of a parasitologist, bacteriologist, biochemist and entomologist. The work of the Institute expanded as the scientists investigated diseases such as
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
,
dengue fever,
filariasis
Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by an infection with roundworms of the Filarioidea type. These are spread by blood-feeding insects such as black flies and mosquitoes. They belong to the group of diseases called helminthiases.
These ...
,
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
,
hookworm, many unidentified fevers,
amoebic dysentery
Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba ''Entamoeba histolytica''. Amoebiasis can be present with no, mild, or severe symptoms. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, colonic u ...
,
tropical sprue
Tropical sprue is a malabsorption disease commonly found in tropical regions, marked with abnormal flattening of the villi and inflammation of the lining of the small intestine. It differs significantly from coeliac sprue. It appears to be a more ...
,
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
,
yaws
Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones, and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium ''Treponema pallidum pertenue''. The disease begins with a round, hard swelling of the skin, in diameter. The center may break open and form an ulce ...
and
gangosa. During this period Breinl identified amoebic dysentery during one of his research trip to
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
.
The outbreak of
World War 1
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the loss of hospital staff seriously affected the work of the Institute. Breinl had to assume the role of Medical Superintendent of the Townsville Hospital and Quarantine Officer while at the same time continuing his research at the Institute. During the war years he also treated servicemen sent from New Guinea and from the Middle East who were suffering from malaria. In early January 1916 Breinl resigned from the position of Quarantine Officer after becoming embroiled in a bitter public controversy over his
Sudeten ancestry. While many in the community supported Breinl and valued his work, others called for his deportation or suggested that he be confined behind "barbed wire".
Despite his resignation from the Quarantine position Breinl continued his research work in the Institute. However, after the war, the Commonwealth tightened control over finances and the direction of research. Staff were not replaced and by 1920 Breinl was the only medical staff member. Research became impossible because of the lack of funds and staff for field trips. After the Institute was absorbed into the newly established Commonwealth Department of Health, Breinl was no longer able to lead the direction of research. He resigned in October 1921.
Later life
![StateLibQld 1 192467 Nurse Nellie Lambton relaxing at home with her photograph album, Townsville, ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/StateLibQld_1_192467_Nurse_Nellie_Lambton_relaxing_at_home_with_her_photograph_album%2C_Townsville%2C_ca._1919.jpg)
Breinl married nurse Nellie Doriel Lambton on 21 April 1919 in Townsville.
Following his resignation from the Institute in 1921, he spent the rest of his life in private practice in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
.
Breinl died of renal failure on 28 June 1944 at the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School a ...
in Sydney. His funeral was held on 28 June 1944 at
Christ Church St Laurence
Christ Church St Laurence is an Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican church (building), church located at 814 George Street, Sydney, George Street, near Central railway station, Sydney, Central railway station and Haymarket, in City of Sydney, S ...
in Sydney after which he was cremated at the
Rookwood Crematorium.
Legacy
The
Anton Breinl Centre
The Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine (Anton Breinl Centre or the ABC) is a constituent discipline of the School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences at James Cook University in Queensland, Austr ...
at
James Cook University is named after him.
References
Attribution
External links
* — full text availabl
online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breinl, Anton
Australian medical researchers
People from Queensland
Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register
1880 births
1944 deaths
Australian tropical physicians
Physicians from Vienna
Austrian physicians
Austrian people of German Bohemian descent
Austrian emigrants to Australia
Academics of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine