Jane Brotherton Walker (31 January 1925 – 3 April 2009) was a Kenyan-South African scholar in the field of

tick Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

, particularly in Africa.Ivan G. Horak. 2009. Obituary, Jane B. Walker. ''International Conference on Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Newsletter on Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases of Livestock in the Tropics'', No. 39: 2-5.Death of Jane B. Walker. ''International Journal of Acarology'' 35(4): 361. Born on 31 January 1925 in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi Riv ...

, Walker grew up on a farm and was

home-school Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

ed by her mother during her primary school years. She completed her

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

in England where she graduated from the Retford High School for Girls in 1944. During her time in England, she contracted

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, the

sequelae A sequela (, ; usually used in the plural, sequelae ) is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, therapy, or other trauma. Derived from the Latin word meaning "sequel", it is used in the medical field to mean a complication or c ...

of which would progressively affect her ability to walk, particularly during her senior years. She earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

(with Honours) degree in 1948 and her

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in 1959, both at

Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...

. In 1983, she was awarded a

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

(Hon.) degree by the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. Walker was first employed in 1949 in the Research Branch of His Majesty's Overseas Civil Service as a Research Officer in the East African Veterinary Research Organization in Muguga,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, where she rose to Principal Scientific Officer before taking up a post as Senior Professional Officer at the Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort, in 1966 upon the retirement of Gertrud Theiler. She spent the remainder of her working life at the institute, rising through the ranks to Chief Veterinary Researcher, and serving as Specialist Scientist until failing health forced her retirement in 1990. After her formal retirement, she continued to work when able at Onderstepoort in an emeritus capacity until 1998. She was a leading expert on the tick genus '' Rhipicephalus'' and the African ''

Amblyomma ''Amblyomma'' is a genus of hard ticks. Some are disease vectors, for example the Rocky Mountain spotted fever in United States or ehrlichiosis in Brazil. This genus is the third largest in the family Ixodidae, with its species primarily ...

''s and served as a member of the Editorial Committee of the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research from 1969 to 2000. During her active career, Walker authored or co-authored 53 scientific publications and five books, and described 18 new tick species. She also helped train other researchers, including Gertrud Theiler and

Harry Hoogstraal Harry Hoogstraal (February 24, 1917 Chicago, Illinois – February 24, 1986 Cairo, Egypt) was an American entomologist and parasitologist. He was described as "the greatest authority on ticks and tickborne diseases who ever lived." The American ...

. Walker died at her home in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

on the morning of 3 April 2009.

Honors

In addition to the honorary

the

awarded her in 1983, Walker was recognized by her peers with three of the most prestigious awards in the field of

biological science Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

s in South Africa, the 1988 Elsdon Dew Medal of the Parasitological Society of Southern Africa for outstanding service rendered to Parasitology in Africa, the Agricultural Science and Technology Woman of the Year Award for 1998, and the Theiler Memorial Trust Award in 1998 for exceptional service rendered to Veterinary Science in Africa. The argasid tick '' Argas walkerae'' Kaiser & Hoogstraal, 1969, "Walker's South African fowl argasid"Makram N. Kaiser & Harry Hoogstraal. 1969. The subgenus ''Persicargas'' (Ixodoidea, Argasidae, ''Argas''). 7. ''A''. (''P.'') ''walkerae'', new species, a parasite of domestic fowl in southern Africa. ''Annals of the Entomological Society of America'' 62: 885-890. and the ixodid tick '' Haemaphysalis walkerae'' Apanaskevich & Tomlinson, 2019 were named to honor her contributions to the body of knowledge about

ticks Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jane Brotherton 1925 births 2009 deaths South African entomologists Kenyan parasitologists Alumni of the University of Liverpool University of the Witwatersrand alumni Women entomologists People from Nairobi 20th-century Kenyan women scientists 20th-century Kenyan scientists Women veterinary scientists Veterinary scientists Women parasitologists 20th-century South African zoologists Kenyan expatriates in the United Kingdom Kenyan emigrants to South Africa