Sydney Josland

Sydney Walter Josland (30 January 1904 – 28 June 1991) was a New Zealand bacteriologist who specialised in research into Leptospirosis, Salmonella and the control of diseases in animals.

Early life and education

Born in Christchurch in 1904, Josland was the eldest son of Frederick Josland and Mary Amelia Kerr. He attended West Christchurch District High School. An uncle, Robert Kerr, had made a fortune in South Africa after the Boer War and had retired to Geneva in Switzerland where he invested money into Dr Henri Spahlinger's work on a vaccine for Tuberculosis. Kerr had wanted Josland to study law and had offered to finance his studies. The offer never came through, however, as Kerr died of malarial fever in Geneva on 7 April 1923, aged forty-seven. Perhaps influenced by his uncle's early death, Josland commenced studying towards a medical degree at the University of Otago in Dunedin. He did not finish the degree, due to financial constraints, but gained a Certificate of Proficiency in Bacteriology and Clinical Pathology from the University in 1926. He married Elsie Naviro Railton in Dunedin on 20 December 1927 and they had a son. Josland completed a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Otago in 1935 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Victoria University of Wellington in 1950.

Early scientific career

Josland was initially a cadet in the Agricultural Department in Christchurch during which time he attended classes at Canterbury College. In 1921, he was appointed Assistant in the Bacteriological Department of Southland Hospital in Invercargill, where he was employed for eighteen months. Josland then became a Bacteriological Cadet attached to the Departments of Bacteriology and Pathology at the University of Otago Medical School where he worked under the supervision of Professors Eric D'Ath (pathology), Alexander Murray Drennan (pathology) and Charles Hercus (bacteriology). During his time at the Medical School, among other things, Josland worked on the chemical methods of pollen extraction and the preparation of these extracts for the diagnosis and therapy of hay fever. He also received training in recently developed methods of blood analysis from Dr Cedric Stanton Hicks. Additionally, Josland spent a brief period employed as relieving bacteriologist at the District Hospital in Whangārei.

Accompanied by his family, Josland arrived in Upper Hutt near Wellington in 1929, at the invitation of Dr Cyril Hopkirk, to set up a biochemistry laboratory at the Wallaceville Animal Research Centre. He later became Chief Bacteriologist at the centre, where, in addition to working under Dr Hopkirk, he worked under Dr Ira Cunningham and Dr John Francis Filmer. Josland initiated the Technicians' Training Scheme at the centre and supervised the training of technical staff.

Until 1930, no organised biochemical work had been undertaken in New Zealand on the blood and urine of normal cattle and sheep. Josland decided that his first priority should be an attempt to determine the normal values and limits for the purpose of standards. This was done and became the standards upon which future biochemical investigations were based. Josland directed biochemical work towards various cattle and sheep diseases, including eclampsia, temporary sterility in cattle and pulpy kidney in lambs, blood from the latter showing no deviation from the normal.

Josland undertook post-graduate training under the direction of Hedley Marston at the Animal Nutrition Laboratory of the Commonwealth Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Adelaide, Australia in 1935. Dr Lionel Bull was head of the Laboratory and staff conducted research into animal nutrition problems. At the time, studies were being made of coast disease, which affected sheep, and metabolism in ewes. One of the problems of drought-feeding was to find the minimum energy requirements of the animal. Josland's main purpose in going to the Laboratory was to get some application in biochemistry in the investigation of diseases in animals. He also studied cobalt deficiency. Upon his return to New Zealand, Josland commented that " ere seemed to be no dearth of money in Australia for research work ndan amazing amount of money was made available from sources outside the Government, particularly the pastoral trusts and the banks".

Investigations carried out by workers both in Australia and New Zealand over a three-year period leading up to 1938 had demonstrated the profound importance to the health of livestock of a minute quantity of cobalt in the diet. Coast disease and enzootic marasmus in Australia, and bush sickness, Morton Mains disease and Mairoa disease in New Zealand, were associated with cobalt deficiency in pastures and were curable, partially and entirely, when cobalt was supplied. In addition to field experiments, Dr Cunningham undertook experimental work with rats in an attempt to gain knowledge of the function of cobalt in the animal system, and Josland investigated the blood-changes induced by cobalt deficiency. This work was done at the Wallaceville Animal Research Centre.

Working under Dr Filmer, Josland, together with six veterinary officers, two chemists and two staff from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, investigated the facial eczema epidemic affecting stock in the Waikato District in 1938. The investigation embraced three fields, namely animal tissues, pastures, and soils. The work on animal tissues, such as the chemical changes in blood, bile and liver, or the presence of unusual metabolic substances, was undertaken by Josland in collaboration with Dr Filmer, and they had the resources of the chemistry section of the Department of Agriculture at their disposal.

Military career

Josland began his military career in the Cadet Service with the West Christchurch District High School and the Canterbury and Southland Regiments between 1917 and 1921. He was then in the ranks of the territorial service during 1922 and 1923 before being commissioned into the Otago Regiment in 1923. Before the Second World War, Josland was a captain in the Twenty-fifth (Wellington) Battalion of the New Zealand Territorials. He went to the War as Second-in-Command of D Company in the Twenty-fifth Battalion (Third Echelon) of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. On 21 February 1941, Josland was seconded for duty as Liaison Officer, 6th Infantry Brigade (New Zealand). He relinquished this position and ceased to be seconded on 4 June 1941. On 20 September 1941, Josland was appointed to command the Graves Registration and Inquiries Unit. From 21 April 1942, he was Staff Captain to Brigadier General Sir Herbert Hart (general), who was the Assistant Director of the Graves Registration Unit, General Headquarters, Middle East and Chief Administrative Officer for the Imperial War Graves Commission, Eastern District. Josland was later seconded to Persia and Iraq Command and the Graves Registration and Inquiries Unit, Mediterranean Pool where he served in the British Army and then in the Second Indian Division of the Indian Army in Iran and Iraq. On 5 July 1945, Josland was appointed temporary lieutenant colonel while employed with the British Forces. He served in Greece, Italy, the Middle East and North Africa. Josland was fluent in Arabic and French and qualified in Urdu

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