George Carmichael Low (14 October 1872 – 31 July 1952) was a Scottish parasitologist.

Biography

He was born in Monifieth, Forfarshire, Scotland, the son of Samuel Miller Low, a manufacturer of flax machinery and educated at

Madras College Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell. History Madras ...

and the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. Having graduated MA from the University, he then studied for a medical degree at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

graduating MB, CM in 1897. For the next two years he was a resident house doctor at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

. In November 1899 he moved to London to work at the new

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...

under

Patrick Manson Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology, and was a founder of the field of tropical medicine. He graduated from University of Aberdeen with degrees in Master ...

. He was sent to Vienna to learn a new technique for sectioning mosquitos and on his return was able to use the technique to prove that

mosquitos Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

pass on parasites from person to person during the act of biting. In 1900 he spent three months in a malaria-ridden part of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and by avoiding mosquitos demonstrated that they were responsible for the transmission of the disease. He spent 1901 in the West Indies, confirming Manson's discovery that

filaria ''Filaria'' is a genus of nematodes belonging to the family Filariidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species: *'' Filaria acutiuscula'' *'' Filaria bufonis'' *'' Filaria loliginis'' *'' Filaria martis'' *'' Filaria piscium'' ...

(a small worm) transmitted by mosquitos was the cause of

elephantiasis Elephantiasis is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling. It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of lymphatic vessels. It may affect the geni ...

. In 1903 he was head of a team sent to

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

to investigate the cause of "sleeping sickness" which unfortunately failed to identify the true cause (Trypanasoma sp.) of the outbreak. His companions were

Cuthbert Christy Cuthbert Christy (1863 – 29 May 1932) was an English doctor and zoologist who undertook extensive explorations of Central Africa during the first part of the 20th century. He was known for his work on sleeping sickness, and for the Christy Repo ...

and

Aldo Castellani Aldo Castellani, KCMG (8 September 1874 – 3 October 1971) was an Italian pathologist and bacteriologist. Life and achievements Castellani was born in Florence and educated there, qualifying in medicine in 1899. He worked for a time in Bonn ...

. On his return in 1903 he was appointed superintendent of the Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital (ADH) where the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine was located. He remained there for the rest of his working life, being appointed Physician in 1918 and Senior Physician in 1919. In 1910, Low had obtained his MD from the University of Edinburgh for his thesis on human filariasis. During World War I he was made a Major in the

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

, treating sick officers at the ADH. In 1907 he formed, together with

James Cantlie Sir James Cantlie (17 January 1851 – 28 May 1926) was a British physician. He was a pioneer of first aid, which in 1875 was unknown: even the police had no knowledge of basic techniques such as how to stop serious bleeding and applying splin ...

, the Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene which in 1920 was granted the Royal prefix to become the

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, more commonly known by its acronym RSTMH, was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie and George Carmichael Low. Sir Patrick Manson, the Society's first President (1907–1909), was recognised as "t ...

. He was the 12th president of the Society from 1929 to 1933, and oversaw its move into Manson House in Portland Place where it remained until 2003. He was a keen ornithologist and served on the council of the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...

. He married Edith Nash in 1906, they had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, George Carmichael 1872 births 1952 deaths People from Monifieth Scottish parasitologists Scottish ornithologists Indian Medical Service officers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at Madras College Presidents of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene