Page 5784 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 7 December 2010
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the newly established John Curtin School of Medical Research at the ANU. At just 34, his reputation was already significant.
A large part of his first 15 years of working life at the ANU were consumed by research into the myxomatosis virus. This work, which contributed to the control of Australia’s rabbit plague, is widely judged as one of his key achievements. A single, unorthodox experiment at this time caught the general public’s attention in an effort to alleviate fears about the safety of releasing myxomatosis. Along with eminent colleagues, Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Ian Clunies Ross, he famously injected himself with the myxoma virus to prove it was not dangerous to humans.
Professor Fenner’s work on myxomatosis led him into the study of the vaccinia virus, which was to prove useful background for his work on smallpox, which later brought him such international acclaim. His position with the World Health Organisation as Chair of the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication was to oversee the smallpox eradication program, which broadly involved isolating new cases and vaccinating nearby populations. The program’s success is still regarded as his greatest achievement in science.
Professor Fenner stated on many occasions that the proudest moment of his life was in 1980 when he stood before the World Health Assembly and announced the eradication of smallpox, confirming one of the greatest milestones in the extension and improvement of human life. Millions across the globe who would already have lost their lives to or been horrifically disfigured by smallpox owe a great deal to Frank Fenner. To this day, smallpox remains the only significant human disease to be successfully eradicated as the result of human scientific and medical endeavour.
In 1995, in recognition of this work, he was awarded the Copley Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the Royal Society of London for distinguished contributions to science. Other recipients of the Copley Medal include Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Captain James Cook.
In addition to this award, Professor Fenner’s achievements have been acknowledged over the years through the awarding of many honours, including the Companion of the Order of Australia and fellowships at the Royal Society and the Australian Academy of Science. He was also awarded the Albert Einstein World Award for Science in 2000 and the Prime Minister’s Science Prize in 2002.
Professor Fenner was also a great teacher and mentor who made an immense contribution to medical education. He published over 300 scientific papers and edited, wrote or co-authored nearly 20 books. His numerous editions of textbooks, primarily on animal viruses and medical virology, are studied by students throughout the world. Medical Virology remains a standard text for medical students across the world.
Professor Fenner’s pioneering work as an environmentalist is perhaps less well known than his scientific achievements. In his early life, he was inspired by Renee Jules Dubos, an American scientist and environmentalist accredited with coining the maxim “think globally, act locally”. Professor Fenner was an early champion of environmental issues in Australia. In 1960 he established the Flora and Fauna Society at the Australian Academy of Science.
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