Struan sutherland biography
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Struan Sutherland—Doyen of envenomation in Australia
ARTICLE IN PRESS Toxicon 48 (2006) 860–871 www.elsevier.com/locate/toxicon Struan Sutherland—Doyen of envenomation in Australia James Tibballs Australian Venom Research enhet, Department of Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Australia Available online 15 July 2006 sammanfattning Struan Sutherland (1936–2002) was the doyen of medical research in the field of envenomation and the ultimate authority on the medical management of envenomated victims in Australia for almost 3 decades. In 1981 as Head of Immunology Research of Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL), he produced an antivenom against the Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Atrax robustus)—an accomplishment that had defied numerous previous attempts. Struan also invented the pressure-immobilisation technique of first-aid for snake bite. This ingenious, simple but safe and effective technique revolutionised first-aid management of snake bite and of some other types of envenomation. It m
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A Venomous Life
Professor Sutherland was one of Australia's most brilliant and controversial scientists. Well-known for his work on animal toxins, his legacy includes the Snake Venom Detection Kit, and Sydneysiders will always be grateful for his discovery of the Funnelweb spider antivenom, which has saved many lives. This is a witty account of a complex life, covering his time at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, his battle to continue important research into our animal toxins, and his successful foundation of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne. The story of his career is also a story about the workings and politics of bureaucracies and the research establishment in Australia. An intriguing read.
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Struan Keith SutherlandAO MB BS MD DSc FRACP FRCPA
Struan Sutherland, an Australian pioneer in medical research on envenomation and an expert on the management of envenomated victims, died on 11 January 2002. As Head of Immunology Research at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL), he was the force behind the development of the antivenom to the Sydney funnel-web spider.
Born in Sydney on 17 June 1936, Struan was raised in Bendigo and educated at Bendigo High School. He graduated in medicine from the University of Melbourne in 1960, and from 1962 to 1965 served as a Surgeon-Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy.
Struan started work at CSL in 1966, and in the following year was appointed foundation Head of Immunology Research, a position he held for 28 years. His interest in venoms was sparked in 1967 by the deaths of a young soldier bitten by a blue-ringed octopus and of a child bitten by a Sydney funnel-web spider. He renewed research into finding a spider antivenom, but it