Frederick Bawden

Sir Frederick Charles Bawden (born August 18, 1908 in North Tawton , Devonshire , † February 8, 1972 in Harpenden , Hertfordshire ) was a British plant pathologist who was a pioneer in the field of plant viruses . With Norman Pirie he isolated the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).

Bawden studied at Cambridge University and was then first with Redcliffe Nathan Salaman at the Potato Virus Research Station in Cambridge. From 1936 he was at the Rothamsted Experimental Station , where his collaboration with Norman Pirie began. In 1940 he became head of plant pathology there, deputy director in 1950 and director in 1958, which he remained until his death.

In 1959 Bawdon received the Leeuwenhoek Medal of the Royal Society , in 1967 he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor .

At his laboratory in Rothamsted he is developing methods to eliminate plant viruses. For example, his colleague Basil Kassanis succeeded in removing the potato mosaic virus from the King Edwards potato variety, the main variety in Great Britain, where the infestation caused great losses during World War II . Other viruses whose control were promoted at his laboratory were the TMV ( tobacco mosaic virus ) and the TBSV ( tomato bushy stunt virus ). His laboratory also studied the spread of plant viruses via insects.

In the last years of his life he fought against tendencies towards short-term research funding in Great Britain, as manifested in particular in the 1971 Rothschild Report, which advocated a market-based view of research funding.

Since 1935 he was married to Marjorie Cudmore, who advocated family planning in the developing world.

literature

Obituary by Norman Pirie, Journal of General Microbiology, Volume 72, 1972, pp. 1-7

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Bawden, Frederick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bawden, Sir Frederick Charles (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British plant pathologist
DATE OF BIRTH	August 18, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH	North Tawton , Devonshire
DATE OF DEATH	February 8, 1972
Place of death	Harpenden , Hertfordshire