Trevor Cory Beard, (11 May 1920 – 2 September 2010) was a British-born Australian medical doctor, best known for his work in the 1960s to eradicate

echinococcosis Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease of tapeworms of the ''Echinococcus'' type. The two main types of the disease are ''cystic echinococcosis'' and ''alveolar echinococcosis''. Less common forms include ''polycystic echinococcosis'' and ''unic ...

(or hydatid disease) in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. In later life, Beard was known as an anti-salt campaigner. Born in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, England, Beard studied medicine and surgery at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, and a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he was elected to the Zeta chapter of Delta Omega, the honorary society for graduate studies in public health. He also received a

DObst RCOG The medical post-nominal suffix DObst RCOG is awarded to obstetricians and gynaecologists who have gained the Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The Diploma is aimed at doctors, and especially general practitioners, w ...

from the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Following qualification, he was a

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceutic ...

at St Bartholomew's Hospital, and later the

City of London Maternity Hospital The City of London Maternity Hospital was a healthcare facility in London. Founded in 1750, it was closed and amalgamated with the Obstetric Unit at the Whittington Hospital in 1983. History In 1750, the Governors appointed “for erecting a Lyi ...

. He then enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, attaining the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

. Beard emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the 1950s, where he worked as a general practitioner. At his practice in

Campbell Town, Tasmania Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 823. History Traditional owners of the Campbell Town area The traditional custodians of the Campbell Town area were t ...

, he began to notice a large number of adult and paediatric cases of

—cysts caused by the larval phase of the '' Echinococcus''

tapeworm Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass is Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Cestodar ...

, usually transmitted to humans by dogs. When a young boy in the town died from a ruptured hydatid cyst, Beard persuaded the rural community to start a prevention and eradication campaign. Following a fact-finding trip to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

where a campaign to eradicate Echinococcosis was already underway, Beard formed the Tasmanian Hydatids Eradication Council and worked with the Tasmanian government to establish and implement a formal prevention, testing and eradication program. In February 1996, Tasmania was declared provisionally free of hydatids in humans, dogs and livestock—the first territory in the world to do so. In 1979, concerned about his own high

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

, Beard read a medical journal editorial entitled "Hypertension – salt poisoning?", which sparked his special interest in salt intake as a public health issue. Beard continued to campaign for reduction or elimination of salt from the diet in his active retirement role as a senior research fellow at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

's Menzies Centre for Population Health Research. He authored the book ''Salt Matters: the Killer Condiment'', published by

Hachette Australia Hachette () is a French publisher. Founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif, the company later became L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette SA and Hachette Livre in France. After acquiring an Australian publisher, Hachette ...

. Beard died on 2 September 2010, aged 90.

Awards and honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1966, Beard was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) for services to public health, in particular his role as Secretary of the Tasmanian Hydatids Eradication Council. In 2006, he was made Senior Australian of the Year for Tasmania.Dr Trevor Beard OBE
, Australian of the Year, 2006.

References

External links

Salt Matters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Trevor 1920 births 2010 deaths Australian general practitioners Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Cambridge UC Berkeley School of Public Health alumni Royal Army Medical Corps officers British emigrants to Australia People from Tasmania Australian public health doctors