With a group of my UCT Medical School colleagues, I have been attending reasonably regular informal talks by Professor Keith Dumbell, formerly of St Mary’s Hospital, London, the University of Liverpool, and UCT.
Keith is a poxvirus expert, and was involved in the eradication of smallpox. He has also lived through several eras of modern virology, starting in 1945 in the pre-DNA and electron microscope days, through the advent of tissue culturing viruses, to the application of recombinant DNA techniques to viruses – and has a treasure trove of fascinating stories he is sharing with us.
Mostly about viruses, but occasionally about the characters involved as well. And the fact that any virologist worth their salt in the 1950s had to have skills in cutting sections, culturing viruses in eggs, centrifugation techniques, and keeping a veritable zoo of small animals.
I hope to get his permission to release a DVD of his reminiscences some day.
ViroBlogy 
28 April, 2012 at 14:45 |
I would be very interested in hearing any of Keths reminiscences having been a PhD student at St Mary’s in the late 1970’s!
Regards……Mike Mackett
2 May, 2012 at 12:34 |
I shall pass it on! Anna-Lise Williamson says hi.
28 March, 2013 at 23:41
I am delighted to hear that Professor Keith Dumbell managed to reach his 90th birthday – and hopefully continues to thrive. He was a close family friend in his days at the University of Liverpool. Please send him our best wishes. Jane Longmore (nee Morgan).
2 April, 2013 at 10:26
Thank you! I will send it on.
7 September, 2015 at 20:42 |
I’d like to hear from you Mike Mackett if you could drop me a line.
12 November, 2012 at 09:19 |
I was a PhD student at St Mary’s & Keith was my supervisor, yes, would be most interested in hearing any of Keith’s reminiscences…