Joseph Lennox Pawan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Lennox Pawan M.B.E. (6 September 1887 – 3 November 1957) was the first person to show that rabies
could be spread by vampire bat
s to other animals and humans.
, Pawan was educated at St. Mary’s College in Port of Spain
and won an Island Scholarship in 1907. He then went on to Edinburgh University where he graduated in 1912 with bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery. After studying at the Pasteur Institute
in France he returned to Trinidad in 1913, first as an Assistant Surgeon at the Colonial Hospital in Port of Spain, and later as the District Medical Officer in Tobago
and Cedros
, in southwestern Trinidad. He died on 3 November 1957. He was sometimes referred to as John Lennox Pawan by Arthur Greenhall, who was a close friend and associate. It is not certain whether he was ever called “John,” or whether the references are misprints.
In 1923 he was appointed as the sole Bacteriologist to the government of Trinidad and Tobago
. In 1925 there was an outbreak of rabies in cattle in Trinidad, which was first diagnosed as botulism
. Humans began contracting rabies in 1929, first diagnosed as poliomyelitis
. The outbreak continued until 1937, by which time 89 human fatalities were recorded.
Dr. Pawan found the first infected vampire bat in March 1932. He then soon proved that various species of bat including Fruit-eating bats and, particularly, the Common Vampire Bat
, Desmodus rotundus, with or without artificial infection or the external symptoms of rabies, are capable of transmitting rabies for an extended period of time. “Perhaps, the most heretical disclosure was that vampire bats could recover from the furious stage of the disease and were capable of spreading the disease up to five and one half months.” It was later shown that fruit bats of the Artibeus
genus demonstrate the same abilities. During this asymptomatic stage the bats continue to behave normally and breed. At first, his basic findings that bats transmitted rabies to people and animals were thought fantastic and ridiculed.
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
could be spread by vampire bat
Vampire bat
Vampire bats are bats whose food source is blood, a dietary trait called hematophagy. There are three bat species that feed solely on blood: the Common Vampire Bat , the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat , and the White-winged Vampire Bat .All three species are native to the Americas, ranging from Mexico to...
s to other animals and humans.
Education and career
Born in TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Pawan was educated at St. Mary’s College in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
and won an Island Scholarship in 1907. He then went on to Edinburgh University where he graduated in 1912 with bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery. After studying at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
in France he returned to Trinidad in 1913, first as an Assistant Surgeon at the Colonial Hospital in Port of Spain, and later as the District Medical Officer in Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
and Cedros
Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago
The coastal area known as Cedros lies on a peninsula at the South-Western end of the island of Trinidad. Located at the tip of the peninsula, Cedros lies mere miles off the coast of Venezuela...
, in southwestern Trinidad. He died on 3 November 1957. He was sometimes referred to as John Lennox Pawan by Arthur Greenhall, who was a close friend and associate. It is not certain whether he was ever called “John,” or whether the references are misprints.
“Dr Pawan’s interests were many and varied. He was the author of numerous papers and studied such subjects as the water supplies of Trinidad; the histology of AedesAedesAedes is a genus of mosquito originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents excluding Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity. Aedes albopictus, a most invasive species was recently spread to the New World, including the U.S., by the used...
and Anophole (sic = AnophelesAnophelesAnopheles is a genus of mosquito. There are approximately 460 recognized species: while over 100 can transmit human malaria, only 30–40 commonly transmit parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria in humans in endemic areas...
) mosquitos; sickle cell anaemia; and the mosquito transmission of Venezuelan Equine Encephalomeyelitis Virus in Trinidad. But he will best be remembered in the annals of medical history along with Louis PasteurLouis PasteurLouis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
for his contributions to the study of rabies. His research on bat rabies has been considered by rabies investigators over the world to be a classic of epidemiological studies and has had a profound influence on all subsequent studies up to the present time.”
In 1923 he was appointed as the sole Bacteriologist to the government of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. In 1925 there was an outbreak of rabies in cattle in Trinidad, which was first diagnosed as botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
. Humans began contracting rabies in 1929, first diagnosed as poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
. The outbreak continued until 1937, by which time 89 human fatalities were recorded.
Dr. Pawan found the first infected vampire bat in March 1932. He then soon proved that various species of bat including Fruit-eating bats and, particularly, the Common Vampire Bat
Common Vampire Bat
The Common Vampire Bat is a small leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas. It is one of three extant species of vampire bat, the other two being the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat and the White-winged Vampire Bat. Along with them, it is the only parasitic mammal. It mainly feeds on the blood of livestock...
, Desmodus rotundus, with or without artificial infection or the external symptoms of rabies, are capable of transmitting rabies for an extended period of time. “Perhaps, the most heretical disclosure was that vampire bats could recover from the furious stage of the disease and were capable of spreading the disease up to five and one half months.” It was later shown that fruit bats of the Artibeus
Artibeus
The Neotropical fruit bats are a genus of bats within the subfamily Stenodermatinae. The genus consists of 21 species, which are native to Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean.-Description:...
genus demonstrate the same abilities. During this asymptomatic stage the bats continue to behave normally and breed. At first, his basic findings that bats transmitted rabies to people and animals were thought fantastic and ridiculed.
"During the 1940s, he also conducted research on tuberculosis, malaria and other tropical diseases. Following his retirement in 1947, this humble achiever continued to work part-time at the Colonial Hospital. In 1954, Dr. Pawan was appointed consultant on rabies to the United States Government and in the same year he was invited to become Chairman of the World Health Organisation, an offer he declined on account of illness."
Publications
- 1931, Pawan, J.L. "The Water Supplies of Trinidad and Tobago." Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
- 1931, Hurst, E.W. and Pawan, J.L. "An Outbreak of Rabies in Trinidad Without history of Bites and with the Symptoms of Acute Ascending Myelitis. The LancetThe LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
, 221, 622. - 1932, Hurst, E.W. and Pawan, J.L. "A further Account of the Trinidad Outbreak of Acute Rabic Myelitis: histology of the experimental disease." Jour. Path. Bact., 35, 301
- 1936, Pawan, J.L. "Transmission of the Paralytic Rabies in Trinidad of the Vampire Bat: Desmodus rotundus murinus Wagner, 1840." Annual Tropical Medicine and Parasitol, 30, April 8, 1936:137-156.
- 1936, Pawan, J.L. "Rabies in the vampire bat of Trinidad with Special Reference to the Clinical Course and the Latency of Infection." Reprinted from the Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parisitology. Vol. 30, No. 4. December, 1936. Issued by the Liverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpool School of Tropical MedicineThe Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is a research and teaching institution focused on neglected tropical diseases and the control of diseases caused by poverty. It is a registered charity affiliated to the University of Liverpool...
. - 1948, Pawan, J.L. "Fruit-eating Bats and Paralytic Rabies in Trinidad." Reprinted from the Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parisitology, Vol. 42, No. 2. September, 1948, pp. 3–12. Issued by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Awards
- Member of the British Empire (MBE) award in 1934, for his ground-breaking discovery.
- The Pan American Health OrganizationPan American Health OrganizationThe Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
(PAHO) posthumously named him a "Hero in Health" in 2002.
External links
- "Caribbean Icons in Science & Innovation. Joseph Lennox Pawan – Bacteriologist." (A short biography.) http://caribbean-icons.org/medicine/joseph-lennox-pawan.htm Accessed 22 March 2011
- "The Heroes of the People." Chapter 12. Joseph Lennox Pawan. (A short biography.) http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography/bio_JosephLennoxPawan_bacteriologist.html Accessed 22 March 2011
- People of note in medicine of Chinese descent http://scitechknofest.com/of-our-own/chinese-in-medicine.htm