Legg, John, LVSc 1912, BVSc 1913, BSc 1914, DVSc 1928
A.V.A. GILRUTH PRIZE AWARD 1956
Dr John Legg
The Gilruth Prize is given for meritorious service to Veterinary Science in Australia. This year, the prize was presented to John Legg, D.V.Sc., B.Sc., M.R.C.V.S., by the President, Dr. DF Stewart, during the opening ceremony of the Annual General Meeting which was held in Brisbane in May. Dr Stewart read the following citation before asking Dr Legg to accept the prize: —
“John Legg received his secondary education at the Melbourne High School, and entered the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Veterinary Science. He early resolved upon a career of scientific research, and proceeded to equip himself by entering for the double qualification in Veterinary Science and in Science. He graduated as B.V.Sc in 1913, and as B.Sc. in 1914. Joining the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock in January 1915, he had hardly settled down when it became apparent that the international struggle, since known as World War I, was likely to be a prolonged and arduous conflict. He therefore volunteered for active service, and joined the Naval Bridging Train as a lieutenant in charge of the health of naval horses.
Eventually reaching England, he then transferred to the Australian Army Veterinary Corps as Captain, and proceeded to Egypt at the end of 1915. In June 1916 he returned to England, and from there proceeded to France where he served until the end of hostilities.
In 1919, he studied at the Royal Veterinary College, from which he obtained the membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in December 1919. Early in 1920 he returned to Australia, and resumed his duties with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock; in July 1920 he moved to Townsville as the District Veterinary Officer and Officer in Charge of the Stock Experiment Stations. Here at last he was able to enter into that long and successful research career for which he had so carefully prepared himself, and a succession of papers began to flow from his pen on the biology of cattle ticks, and on the protozoan diseases transmitted by them, as well as on poison plants.
The high scientific merit of these contributions was recognised when, in 1928, the University of Melbourne conferred upon him the degree of D.V.Sc., his thesis being highly commended by the late Sir Arnold Theiler of Onderstepoort.
In October 1931 the Stock Experiment Station was transferred for an agreed period of five years to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (forerunner of the present CSIRO), and, after considerable enlargement and re-equipping, it became known as the Animal Health Research Laboratory. Dr. Legg was seconded to the CSIR, which sent him to the veterinary laboratories at Onderstepoort, Union of South Africa. After a profitable period of study there, he returned to his old laboratory, in order to concentrate on a series of studies on tick fevers in cattle which, interalia, led to his recognition of Anaplasma marginale and of Babesiella argentina in Queensland cattle, to the introduction of methods of immunising against them, and to methods of chemotherapeutic control. In October 1936, when control of the laboratory reverted to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock, Dr. Legg left Townsville for the Animal health Station at Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, first as Senior Veterinary Officer, and since 1941 as Director. Here he combines his heavy administrative duties with a continued interest in ticks, and tick-borne diseases and poison plants.
Dr Legg served a term in the presidential chair in the Queensland Division of the A.V.A., and he has been a State Editor of the Australian Veterinary Journal for many years.
On all scores, then, Council has unanimously decided that Dr John Legg is a worthy recipient of the Gilruth prize Award for 1956.”
JOHN LEGG
John Legg died on 1 February 1984, just ten days before his 92nd birthday.
John Legg, DVSc (Melb.), BSc, MRCVS, on completion of his secondary education at the Melbourne High School, entered the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne and elected to study for the double qualification of Veterinary Science and Science, graduating BVSc in 1913 and BSc in 1914. On graduation he joined the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock (now Primary Industries) in early 1915, planning to undertake a research career. However, when it became evident that World War I was likely to be prolonged, he volunteered for active service and joined the Naval Bridging Train as a lieutenant in charge of the health of naval horses. On reaching England he transferred to the Australian Army Veterinary Corps as captain and proceeded to Egypt at the end of 1915. In June 1916 he returned to England en route to France, where he served until the end of the war.
In 1919, he studied at the Royal Veterinary College where he obtained his MRCVS in December 1919. He returned to Australia early in 1920 and resumed duty with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock. He was transferred to Townsville as District Veterinary Officer and Officer-in-Charge of the Stock Experiment Station (now the Oonoonba Veterinary Laboratory) in mid-1920. During the next eight years, he undertook a series of studies on the biology of the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus and the protozoon parasites transmitted by it and reported on the spread of buffalo fly, the occurrence of the disease in cattle now known as botulism and on tumours of horses. The work on cattle ticks and tick fever resulted in John Legg being awarded the DVSc by the University of Melbourne for a thesis which was highly commended by the late Sir Arnold Theiler.
When the Stock Experiment Station was transferred to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (now CSIRO) in October 1931 for a period of five years, Dr Legg was seconded to CSIR. Almost immediately he was sent for a period of study to the veterinary laboratories at Onderstepoort, Union (Republic) of South Africa. On his return he concentrated on a series of studies which led to the recognition in Australia of Babesiella argentinum (now Babesia bovis) and Anaplasma marginale, in addition to the previously known tick fever parasite Piroplasma bigeminum (now Babesia bigemina), to the introduction of methods of immunisation and to therapeutic control procedures. The immunisation procedures that Dr Legg developed were used until the early 1960s.
John Legg, on his return to the State Department in October 1936, was transferred to the Animal Health Station (now the Animal Research Institute), Yeerongpilly as Senior Veterinary Officer. He was appointed Director in 1941 and except for a short period as Acting Director of Animal Industry served the remainder of his working life, until his retirement in February 1957, at that laboratory. Dr Legg maintained his personal research interests in tick control, tick fevers and poisonous plants during his years at the Animal Health Station. He was an inaugural member of the initial Poisonous Plants Committee in Queensland and inaugural Chairman of the Agricultural Requirements Board in 1952. During his time as Director, the Animal Health Station at Yeerongpilly made a number of significant advances in knowledge and diagnosis of animal diseases and some were world firsts. Those staff who knew him during this period will not forget his regular morning visits to the laboratories where staff were working, followed by his inspection of the experimental animals.
Dr Legg was registered as a veterinary surgeon under the Veterinary Surgeons Act of 1936 on 14 January 1938 with Certificate of Registration No. 55 and served continuously as an elected or Government member of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland from 1938 to 1956.
Apart from his scientific attainments, Dr Legg maintained an interest in Association affairs and served a term as President of the Queensland Division and was State Editor of the Australian Veterinary Journal for many years. The Australian Veterinary Association recognised the very significant scientific achievements of John Legg when it awarded him the Gilruth Prize in 1956.
After his retirement, Dr Legg continued for over 25 years to live in his residence at Yeerongpilly overlooking the Animal Research Institute. Failing health necessitated his transfer to the War Veterans Home at Kenmore in Brisbane in recent years. During his retirement he rarely made appearances at veterinary functions but always maintained a deep interest in professional affairs.
Dr Legg will be long remembered for his pioneering achievements in veterinary research both as a research worker and leader, and for his contributions to scientific knowledge, particularly in ticks and tick fever. He is rightly regarded as one of the veterinary leaders of his generation in Australia. The sympathy of members of the Australian Veterinary Association, and particularly those who worked with him or knew him, is extended to his daughter and son and their families.