{"id":1514,"date":"2013-07-08T18:25:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-08T18:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/trading-knowledge\/?p=1514"},"modified":"2013-07-08T18:25:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-08T18:25:31","slug":"an-80th-annivirusary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/trading-knowledge\/2013\/07\/08\/an-80th-annivirusary\/","title":{"rendered":"An 80th annivirusary"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most of us, appearances on TV are still unusual enough to generate some excitement. \u00a0Even just a slight chance of a televisual encounter can get the pulse racing.\u00a0Last December I became briefly excited on hearing that the BBC were to do some filming here about the Institute’s influenza research. They wanted to film the Library’s model of the structure of influenza haemagglutinin and there was a passing mention of a remote possibility of them maybe wanting someone to read out a text if a suitable person was available (pleassir, me sir, me, me!). Well, on that occasion fame didn’t beckon but they made a good video piece about the Institute’s flu research<\/a>, past and present, interviewing staff from the WHO Influenza Centre here.<\/p>\n

As part of my getting-carried-away-with-myself I fished out a few books and reprints connected with influenza to make a little display. I chose some articles from around the time that NIMR scientists first identified the flu virus, as well as some older books.\u00a0I dont think the BBC film crew noticed my efforts and I confess it was a bit of a half-hearted attempt. \u00a0But at least one person did notice it – one of our esteemed virologists (now retired but still very much involved in flu work) remarked on the display, and I admitted that it was my work. He also pointed out that 2013 would be the 80th anniversary of the landmark paper identifying the flu virus, published 8 July 1933 in The Lancet<\/em>. He said there was an idea to mark this with some kind of event, so I asked him to let me know when the plans were finalised.<\/p>\n

Over the next few months I asked again from time to time but soon realised that the idea had faded away. But it seemed to good an opportunity to let pass, so last month I pressed another of our esteemed virologists (not retired) to write something about the anniversary to put up on the Institute website. He sent me something just before our Open Day at the end of last month. I was too madly busy with preparations for the Open Day to do anything with it right away.<\/p>\n

The Open Day went off well, with a wonderful unexpected visitor. The day kicked off with three science talks, one of them on influenza. \u00a0At the end of that talk a hand went up to ask a question and a certain Dennis Busby stood up and said “I joined the influenza research group at NIMR in 1934, and then in 1936 I was the first person to be injected with the flu vaccine”. Heads turned to look at him, a piece of living virological history. The more cynical members of the audience probably thought he had been planted, but I can assure you he wasn’t – everyone was taken by surprise. Dennis became the centre of attention after that.<\/p>\n

Next day I got into action and discovered that Tilli Tansey had interviewed Den Busby for her 2008 article on research technicians, including a number of quotes from him<\/a>. He joined NIMR in 1934 aged 15 and gradually worked his way up to head technician before retiring in late 1979. I also found a few photos of him in the archives. \u00a0I dashed off an email to my colleagues in the MRC Press Office, hoping to inspire them with some influenza history – an anniversary and a human interest story. A few days later and I was rewarded with the news that there was to be a blogpost on the MRC blog (a version of the piece that our virologist had written), plus another piece on the\u00a0Guardian<\/em>‘s history of science blog, the H-word, guest-written by Michael Bresalier. I remembered Michael from a few years ago when he visited to look at our archives. \u00a0His PhD thesis is about the history of influenza, and I see that he has \u00a0a book coming out soon about the subject so he is well-qualified to write about this anniversary.<\/p>\n

So, these are the three (overlapping) pieces that came out this morning on the Guardian, MRC and NIMR blogs\/websites, variously on some combination of influenza, MRC, NIMR, 1933, and Dennis Busby:<\/p>\n