Bruce, Sir David (1855-1931)

Malta fever. Author's holograph MS. Illustrated by numerous pen-drawn charts, one folding. The preface (second preliminary leaf of smaller format, 201/2 x 201/2) states: 'This is an attempt to give such a series of cases [of Malta fever] with a short account of the etiology, symptoms and treatment of this fever. I was resident Medical Officer in the Station Hospital, Valletta for 5 years from 1884 to 1889 during which time more than 400 cases of Malta fever were admitted for treatment. The cases however from which these notes have principally been taken, are 91 in number, and were those under treatment during the year 1886'.

1890

1 volume 3 ll. + 109 ff. + 1 bl. l. folio. 32 x 201/2 cm. Original buckram binding.

Purchased 1933.

Sir David Bruce, KCB,FRS,FRCP (1855-1931), a Surgeon in the Army Medical Services, and his wife, Mary (née Steele) (d.1931), an accomplished microscopist, served in Malta 1884-1889, where they isolated the organism, micrococcus melitensis (brucella melitensis), responsible for 'Malta Fever' or 'Mediterranean Fever', now known as brucellosis. śBruce was Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Army Medical School at Netley, 1889-1894, and was then posted to South Africa to investigate the mysterious diseases, 'nagana' and 'tsetse fly disease' which were decimating livestock herds. He proved them to be the same tsetse-borne disease, caused by a microscopic organism which he called a trypanosome. In later work (1897-1899), the Bruces traced the life cycles and modes of transmission of the causative organisms of both brucellosis and trypanosomiasis. śIn 1903 Bruce was seconded to the Royal Society Commission in Uganda investigating sleeping sickness and proved by observations and experiments that trypanosomes

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).