Christophers, Sir (Samuel) Rickard, CIE, OBE, FRS (1873-1978), protozoologist and expert in tropical medicine

Career summary

1896 Graduated MB, ChB (Liverpool)

Early medical appointments included ship's doctor - Amazon basin

1898-1901 Malaria Commission (Royal Society/Colonial Office)

1898 Studied techniques in Italy with Golgi in Pavia re cycles in tertian and quartan malaria, with Grassi in Rome re transmission of human malaria by mosquito

1899-1901 Africa: 1899 based in Blantyre, Nyasaland, 1900-1901 in West Africa. Established connection between blackwater fever and malaria. First recognition of endemic malaria in indigenous population

1901 Commission moved to India. In this and subsequent IMS work, established foundation on which all subsequent work on malaria has been built: different species of Anopheles mosquito have different breeding places and feeding habits, so control operations should be preceded by a careful survey of local conditions.

1902-1932 Indian Medical Service

1902 Anti-malarial operations at Mian Mir, subsequently investigated Charles Donovan's findings in Madras re newly described cause of Kala-azar (Leishmaniasis)

1904-1908 First Director of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine

1909 Investigated violent epidemic of malaria in the Punjab. Led to the establishment of the Central Malaria Bureau at the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, with SRC as Officer in Charge

1915 Awarded CIE

1916 Published standard work on the anopheline mosquitoes of India, `A revision of the nomenclature of Indian Anophelini', Indian J. med. Res, 3, 454-488

War service, DADMS (Sanitation), Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force. Director of Central Laboratory on the ship Elphinstone, moored in the Shatt-el-Arab at Basra. [Senior staff: WDH Stephenson, IMS, senior bacteriologist; Dr Miskin, bacteriologist; Dr Bassett, chemist; Dr A J Grove, entomologist; Rev Aitken, amateur entomologist; P J Barraud, entomologist; and H E Shortt, IMS, protozoologist and malariologist]

1916 Undertook malaria surveys of areas in which troops operating, and studied `oriental sore', transmitted by bite of phlebotomine flies

1920 Returned to the Central Malaria Bureau as Deputy Director of the Central Research Institute. Malaria research expanded to become the Malaria Survey of India under J A Sinton

1924 Director of the Kala-Azar Commission. [Senior staff: H E Shortt; P J Barraud; Captain A C Craighead, IMS; Mr C S Swaminath, entomologist; and Dr Sribas Das, IMS]

1925-1932 Director of the Central Research Institute

1931 Knighted

1932-1938 Professor of Malaria Studies, University of London, in charge of the Experimental Malaria Unit of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

1938- Cambridge University. Studies of anatomy and biology of mosquitoes. Interupted by Second World War, during which SRC undertook studies of mosquito repellents

1960 Anatomical work published - study of Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito

Further biographical details can be found in the Dictionary of National Biography and Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society.

At Wellcome Collection:

The papers of P G Shute (WTI/PGS) contain a large amount of correspondence with Sir Rickard Christophers, 1932-1972.