Struan Keith Sutherland AO (17 June 193611 January 2002) was an Australian

medical researcher Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

who developed effective

antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if th ...

s and other treatments for people bitten or stung by venomous Australian wildlife.

Early life

Sutherland was born in Sydney and grew up in

Bendigo, Victoria Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

, graduating in 1960, and served in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

from 1962 to 1965.

The CSL years

In 1966, Sutherland joined the

Commonwealth Serum Laboratories CSL Limited is an Australian multinational specialty biotechnology company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets products to treat and prevent serious human medical conditions. CSL's product areas include blood plasma derivative ...

and was soon appointed Head of Immunology Research, a position which he held for 28 years. The death in January 1979 of a young girl, Christine Sturges, from a

funnel-web spider Labyrinth spider (Agelena labyrinthica) female in web funnel

Many previous researchers had failed to develop such an antivenom, but Sutherland persevered. In January 1980, a two-year-old boy James Cully was bitten by a funnel-web, and died three days later. This was the spider's 13th recorded victim. Later that year, Sutherland's team produced an effective antivenom; since then, no deaths have been recorded from funnelweb bites. The antivenom had its first success when it was used to treat a 49-year-old Sydney man, Gordon Wheatley, who was bitten by a funnel-web on 31 January 1981. He completely recovered after 2 days in hospital. Sutherland also led research into

snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

treatment, working on antivenoms and developing venom detection kits to help hospital staff determine appropriate treatment for a bite. In the 1970s, he developed the pressure immobilisation technique (a first-aid procedure) for both snake and funnelweb bites, replacing treatments such as

tourniquet A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation. A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick an ...

s that were often harmful to the patient.

Later years

In 1994, CSL was

privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

and the antivenom research program was closed, prompting Sutherland to leave the organisation for the University of Melbourne. Here he founded the Australian Venom Research Unit, where he worked until 1999 when striatonigral degeneration, a condition similar to

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

, forced him to retire. Even in retirement he continued to work, co-authoring three books, including "Venomous Creatures of Australia", which became its publisher's (Oxford University Press) best-selling Australian book.

Personal life

Sutherland was married three times.

Media appearances and autobiography

Sutherland had a humorous interview with

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...

and

Mark Carwardine Mark Carwardine ( IPA: /kɑːwɑːdiːn/; born 9 March 1959) is a British zoologist who achieved widespread recognition with his 20-year conservation project – '' Last Chance to See'' – which involved round-the-world expeditions with Dougla ...

in '' Last Chance to See''. Sutherland's autobiography, ''A Venomous Life'', was published in 1998 by Highland House Publishing, Melbourne (). He also wrote ''

Hydroponics Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in aqueous solvents. Terrestrial or aquatic plant ...

for Everyone'', about one of his hobbies.

Death

When he died in 2002, he had already written his own death notice: "Struan would like to inform his friends and acquaintances that he fell off his perch on Friday, 11 January 2002, and is to be privately cremated. No flowers please. Donations to Australian Venom Research Unit, Melbourne University."

Honours

In the

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

honours of 2002, two weeks after his death, Sutherland was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AO), effective from 7 February 2000, for "service to science as a leading contributor to research in clinical toxicology and the biology of Australia's venomous creatures, and for the development of the funnel web spider antivenom".

References

Sources

* Struan K Sutherland, ''A Venomous Life: the Autobiography of Professor Struan Sutherland'' (Melbourne: Hyland House, 1998). * Mark Whitaker, ''Spiderman'',

Weekend Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatewat ...

Magazine, 13–14 March 1999.

External links

Medical Journal of Australia obituaryBMJ obituaryEntry at PM&C Awards site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Struan People from Bendigo Australian scientists Australian medical researchers 1936 births 2002 deaths Deaths from multiple system atrophy Neurological disease deaths in Australia Officers of the Order of Australia Melbourne Medical School alumni