Person

Tanner, Charles (1911 - 1996)

Born
19 January 1911
Brighton, United Kingdom
Died
23 December 1996
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Occupation
Herpetologist

Summary

Charles Tanner was a herpetologist who made substantial contributions to the study of Australian reptiles. His principal interest was elapids, and in the discovery of unknown taxa, their collection, preservation and careful documentation. For many years he spent considerable time on field trips to herpetologically little-known areas in company with the Curator of Herpetology at the National Museum of Victoria (later Museum of Victoria), John Coventry. Tanner donated over 1,000 specimens of snakes and frogs to the Museum, where he was an Honorary Associate for over 40 years. In addition he donated, between 1968 and 1990, nearly 900 specimens of snakes, frog and mammals to the Queensland Museum. Included among these collections were a number of type specimens. Tanner was an enthusiastic keeper of snakes which he milked for their venom. The high quality venom thus collected was supplied in dried form to the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories and used to make much of the antivenom produced by the Laboratories. Some of the venom he collected is now in the National Collection of Venoms, Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne. Tanner also devised a number of tools for handling snakes that are now widely used.

Details

Chronology

1953 - 1983
Career position - Honorary Associate, National Museum of Victoria
1983 - 1996
Career position - Honorary Associate, Museum of Victoria

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • Covacevich, J. A.; Sutherland, S. K.; Coventry, A. J.; and Cann, J., 'Obituary: Charles Tanner, herpetologist', Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 42 (1) (1997), 377-8. Details

See also

  • Healy, Jacqueline and Winkel, Kenneth D. eds, Venom: Fear, Fascination and Discovery (Carlton (Vic.): University of Melbourne. Medical History Museum, 2013), 128 pp. Details
  • Mirtschin, Peter, 'The Pioneers of Venom Production for Australian Antivenoms', Toxicon, 48 (7) (2009), 899-918 . Details

Helen Cohn

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