William "Jock" Alves ( 1909 – 10 February 1979) was a Scottish-born

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

n physician and politician who served as mayor of Salisbury (now

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

) from 1972 to 1974. He later served as a member of the

Senate of Rhodesia The Parliament of Rhodesia was the bicameral legislature in Rhodesia from 1970 to 1979. Several elections were held, last in 1977. Senate The upper chamber was called the Senate, and it had 23 members: ten White Rhodesians, ten African chiefs, ...

until his death. An

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evid ...

by profession, he directed a

bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody ...

research laboratory in Salisbury and later worked with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

on parasitic disease projects.

Medical career

Alves was of Scottish origin. Alves earned his Bachelor of Arts from a South African university. He pursued his doctorate at the

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 ...

, but had to return to

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

in 1947 before completing his degree. He later returned and was awarded a PhD in 1953. Alves was a physician and was the director of the

Bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody ...

and

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 ...

Research Laboratory in Salisbury from 1944 into the 1950s. He also belonged to the department of

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He was considered an international authority on bilharzia, and during his tenure at the laboratory developed a treatment for the disease that was successfully tested on 25 patients. He served on the

(WHO) expert committee on parasitic diseases. In 1958, he led a WHO project in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In 1961, he was senior advisor on a WHO malaria eradication project in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Political career

Alves was elected to the

Salisbury City Council Salisbury City Council is a parish-level council for Salisbury, England. It was established in April 2009 and is based in the city's historic Guildhall. Following the May 2021 election, no party has an overall majority. Population The civil p ...

and served as deputy mayor from 1971 to 1972 under Mayor

Roger Bates Roger Bates (born 1947) is an American bridge player. Bridge accomplishments Awards * Mott-Smith Trophy (3) 1975, 1988, 1992 Wins * North American Bridge Championships (12) ** Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1971 ** Nail Life Master Open Pairs (2) 1976 ...

. On 2 August 1972, he was sworn in as mayor Salisbury at a special meeting of the city council. He served as mayor until 7 August 1974, when he was succeeded by Tony Tanser. Alves continued to serve on the city council, and later became a member of the Rhodesian senate. In 1978, as chairman of the city council's African affairs committee, Alves introduced a scheme to set up a two-tier system in which blacks and whites would each have municipal representation on their own city councils. The proposal passed without debate in January 1978. In June 1978, Alves made a speech before the senate in which he urged the Rhodesian government to include the African nationalist leader

Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and Matabeleland politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's ...

, and possibly

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

, in any potential settlement negotiations. He was a member of the ruling

Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the rul ...

party, and was for a time a party spokesman. Alves died at Andrew Fleming Hospital in Salisbury on 10 February 1979, aged 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alves, Jock Date of birth missing Year of birth missing 1979 deaths 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Academics of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Alumni of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine British emigrants to Rhodesia British epidemiologists Deputy mayors Harare city councillors Mayors of Harare Members of the Parliament of Rhodesia Members of the Senate of Zimbabwe Rhodesian Front politicians Rhodesian people of British descent Rhodesian physicians Scottish parasitologists White Rhodesian people World Health Organization officials Zimbabwean epidemiologists