Alfred Jefferis Turner (3 October 1861 in

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

– 29 December 1947 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

) was a

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

and amateur

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

. He was the son of missionary Frederick Storrs-Turner. He introduced the use of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

antitoxin An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacterium, bacteria in response to toxin exposure. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, the ...

to Australia in 1895, and resided in Dauphin Terrace, Highgate Hill, Brisbane. The Jefferis Turner Centre for mothercraft was opened in 1952 as part of the Queensland Government's Maternal and Child Welfare program. In 1986, its role was changed to provide short-term respite care for intellectually disabled children. It is located in the heritage building Fairy Knoll in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Medical career

Turner studied medicine at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

graduating with first class honours. He emigrated to Australia in 1888 and the next year became first medical officer of the

Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) was a hospital for children in Herston, Brisbane, Australia. RCH was located next to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital before it was demolished and the land was used to build the Surgical, Treatment and ...

(then known as the Hospital for Sick Children). Turner's clinical research and influence helped to reduce the number of children's deaths in Queensland. He contributed in the areas of diphtheria antitoxin,

hookworm Hookworms are Gastrointestinal tract, intestinal, Hematophagy, blood-feeding, parasitic Nematode, roundworms that cause types of infection known as helminthiases. Hookworm infection is found in many parts of the world, and is common in areas with ...

-induced anaemia,

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, infertility, numbness and paresthesia, t ...

, children's milk supply quality improvement, health education for expectant and nursing mothers and antenatal clinic establishment in Queensland. Turner played a pivotal role in combating the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

epidemic of 1900 and in making the notification of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

compulsory in 1904. Due to his mild manner and love of children, he acquired the nickname of "Gentle Annie".

Entomological activity

Doctor Alfred Jefferis Turner in the Bunya Mountains 1925 small

Turner was an amateur entomologist who specialised in

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

and left his collection of over 50,000 moth specimens to the

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

, Canberra.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Alfred Jefferis Australian entomologists Australian taxonomists 01 1861 births 1947 deaths Australian paediatricians 19th-century Australian zoologists 20th-century Australian zoologists Colony of Queensland people British expatriates in China British emigrants to colonial Australia