Person
Penfold, William James (1875 - 1941)
- Born
- 27 November 1875
Brampton, Cumberland, England - Died
- 26 October 1941
Camberwell, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Bacteriologist and Medical scientist
Summary
William Penfold was the first Director of the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL), having been invited by the Australian Government to accept the position on the strength of his international reputation as a bacteriologist and in preventive medicine. His research before coming to Australia was wide-ranging and included typhoid, cerebral meningitis, and dysentery. As Director his task was to manufacture biological products for human use. He established and equipped laboratories, trained staff, and by 1919 was producing influenza vaccine. Seeking more opportunity for research, Penfold became Director of the Baker Medical Research Institute at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, in 1926. Here he established an effective bacteriological and biochemical services, and integrated them with the Hospital's pathology department. His research included pioneering work on anaerobic bacillary infections, means of reducing diabetic mortality, and the prevention of gas gangrene. Penfold was active in the foundation of Victoria's State Cancer Research Committee and the Australian Medical Research Council.
Details
Chronology
- 1896
- Education - MB ChM, University of Edinburgh
- 1896 - 1909
- Career position - In clinical practice Newcastle-on-Tyne, United Kingdom
- 1908
- Education - Diploma of Public Health, Bachelor of Hygiene, University of Durham
- 1909
- Education - Licentiate and Member, Royal College of Physicians, London
- 1909 - 1916
- Career position - Bacteriologist, Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, London
- 1916 - 1926
- Career position - Director, Commonwealth Serum Laboratories
- 1921 -
- Career position - Foundation Councillor (Pathology), Australian National Research Council
- 1926 - 1938
- Career position - Director, Baker Medical Research Institute
- 1938
- Life event - Retired
- 1938 - 1941
- Career position - Foundation Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Related entries
Archival resources
Private hands (Lindsay, P.)
- William James Penfold - Records, 1875 - 1911; Private hands (Lindsay, P.). Details
Published resources
Books
- Brogan, Alfred H., Committed to Saving Lives: a history of the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (South Yarra, Victoria: Hyland House, 1990), 301 pp. Chief executive 25 April 1916 - 23 February 1927. Details
- McDonald, G. L., Roll of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Sydney: Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 1988), 332 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Robin, A. de Q., 'Penfold, William James (1875-1941), Bacteriologist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 11: 1891 - 1939 Nes-Smi, Geoffrey Serle, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988), pp. 197-198. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110202b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- 'In Memory of William James Penfold', Australian Journal of Science, 4 (6) (1942), 192-193. Details
- Willis, R. A. et al., 'Obituary: William James Penfold', Medical Journal of Australia, 1941 (2) (1941), 657-60. Details
- Willis, R. A.; and Schütze, H., 'William James Penfold 1875-1941', Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, 54 (2) (1942), 267-276. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q24026259. Details
- 'Penfold, William James (1875-1941)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1466477. Details
See also
- Cumpston, J. H. L., Influenza and maritime quarantine in Australia (Melbourne: Government Printer, 1919), 176 pp. Details
Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 October 2023
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education