Eric John Underwood
AO,
CBE (7 September 1905 – 19 August 1980) was an
Australian scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...
who pioneered research into
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficien ...
and
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
...
production.
Personal life
Underwood was born in
Harlington,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
on 7 September 1905, the youngest of three children to James and Elizabeth Underwood. When Elizabeth died in 1907, Underwood and his siblings were placed in the care of family while James migrated to
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...
and established himself at
Mount Barker. After a long period of correspondence James convinced a friend Kate Taysom to accompany the children to
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
in 1913. James and Kate were married the day after their arrival.
On 23 June 1934 Eric Underwood married school teacher Erica Chandler at St Andrews Church,
Perth
Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...
, and they had two daughters and two sons. Underwood died in
Royal Perth Hospital
Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia.
History
The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...
on 19 August 1980.
Education
The family stayed in Mount Barker until 1920 when James took up a property near
Coorow in Western Australia's
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
region. Underwood boarded in Perth for schooling, going to North Perth State and
Perth Modern School, and returning to the Coorow property during school holidays. In 1924 Underwood commenced a cadetship with the
Department of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
and studied Agriculture at The University of Western Australia, gaining his bachelor of science in 1928, which he graduated with honours. His thesis, ''A botanical and chemical study of Western Australian pastures'', was published in 1929. Underwood the took up the Hackett research studentship to study at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of ...
obtaining his
Doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...
of Science in 1931 and returning to Western Australia.
In June 1936 Underwood undertook a two-year
fellowship funded by the Commonwealth at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
. When he returned to Western Australia, he was invited to work with The
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
's Institute of Agriculture.
Research
On his return to Western Australia, Underwood returned to the Department of Agriculture. In 1933 he was appointed Animal Nutrition Officer. One of the first research studies he undertook was on ''
Denmark wasting disease
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'' in
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...
, as there was speculation that the disease was caused by
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...
deficiency. At the same time
Hedley Marston
Hedley Ralph Marston FRS FAA (26 August 1900 – 25 August 1965) was an Australian biochemist who worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
First published in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volu ...
was researching the disease in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, and in January 1935, Marston published his findings concluding that the cause was a deficiency in the trace element
cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, ...
, Underwood published his findings in March 1935 with similar conclusions. Years later the findings were confirmed with cobalt-containing
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It ...
shown as the key to the disease and the factor in
haematopoiesis
Haematopoiesis (, from Greek , 'blood' and 'to make'; also hematopoiesis in American English; sometimes also h(a)emopoiesis) is the formation of blood cellular components. All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells ...
. Nowadays sheep receive B12 supplements in the poor-pasture areas of the south coastal strip to manage cobalt and selenium deficiencies.
Underwood's next research project was the beginning of a 30-year association with
Avondale Agricultural Research Station
Avondale Agricultural Research Station or Avondale Discovery Farm is one of thirteen research farms and stations operated by Western Australia's Department of Agriculture and Food. In addition to its research, Avondale has historical buildings ...
, this study was into the effect of
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
on wool growth. This was followed investigations with
botulism
Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium '' Clostridium botulinum''. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, feeling tired, and trouble speaking. This may then be followed by weakn ...
in sheep, results of which were published in the
Journal of Agriculture. During the 1940s he studied the
nutritional value of hay and pasture for sheep, the ongoing results from these ''Studies in Cereal Hay production in Western Australia'' were published in the Journal of Agriculture.
Teaching
In 1946 Underwood was appointed
Dean of faculty and director of The University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture. Under Underwood, the Institute's teaching and research activities outstripped available resources, and he obtained support from
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research.
CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...
's Wool research fund. Underwood also presented a paper ''New Deal for Agriculture'' which secured additional funding from the University administration. This funding enabled additional staffing, and an increase in
postgraduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and str ...
studies. As a lecturer, Underwood's logical presentation made the most complex information easy to understand.
Other activities
In 1940, Underwood published the review ''Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews'' which was later expanded and published as the book ''Trace Elements in Human and Animal Nutrition''. He revised and republished the book in 1962, 1971 and 1977. In 1966, he also published the book ''The Mineral Nutrition of Livestock''. From 1946 to 1959, Underwood was chairman of
Tuberculosis Association of Western Australia, and from 1956-1958 he was also federal president of
National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis. Underwood joined the executive of
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research.
CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...
in 1966, writing many papers and giving lectures. Retiring from The University of Western Australia in 1970, Underwood continued on the executive of CSIRO until 1975.
Recognition
* 1954 Fellow of
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal So ...
* 1958 Fellow of
Australian Institute of Agricultural Science
* 1962 Underwood Avenue,
Shenton Park, Western Australia was named in his honor.
* 1963
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
* 1967 awarded the
Farrer Medal
The Farrer Memorial Trust was established in 1911 in Australia in memory of William Farrer. Initially established to provide study scholarships to Agricultural Scientists, the Trust became responsible in 1941 for the annual presentation of the F ...
* 1967 Honorary Degree Rural Science from
University of New England University of New England may refer to:
* University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 18,000 students
* University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 3,000 students
See also
*New England Colle ...
* 1969 Honorary Degree Science (Agriculture) University of Western Australia
* 1970 Fellow of
Australian Society of Animal Production
* 1973
Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture
The Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture is a biennial award given by the Australian Academy of Science to recognise outstanding scientific research in the biological sciences.
It was established in 1971 and honours the memory of the Nobel laurea ...
of the
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal So ...
* 1976
Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...
It's an Honour
- Officer of the Order of Australia
* 1980 Honorary Degree Science from the University of Wisconsin
References
* Primary sourcing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Eric John
University of Western Australia alumni
University of Western Australia faculty
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Officers of the Order of Australia
Agriculture educators
Australian agriculturalists
People from Harlington, London
People from Perth, Western Australia
1905 births
1980 deaths
People educated at Perth Modern School
Farrer Medal recipients
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science
Fellows of the Royal Society