Homepage

Record

RefNoEC/1980/33
Previous numbersCert XX, 210
LevelItem
TitleSmith, Herbert Williams: certificate of election to the Royal Society
Date1978
DescriptionCitation typed
CitationDistinguished for his contributions to the knowledge of the pathogenic and non-pathogenic enterobacteria of farm animals. He has significantly advanced the understanding of Escherichia coi and salmonella infections in livestock, and has improved the control of salmonellosis in these animals by the isolation of rough mutants of salmonellae that are used as live vaccines. He recognised at an early stage the importance of feed-additive antibacterial drugs in provoking the emergence of lines of E. coli resistant to the drugs concerned, and demonstrated that this effect was produced by very low levels of those drugs. He has carried out extensive studies of the activity of bacterial haemolysins in animals, and has devised optimal techniques for observing their production. Herbert Williams Smith has done much research on enterbacterial plasmids. His most important contribution to that subject has undoubtedly been his discovery that the synthesis of enterotoxins and haemolysins by pathogenic E. coli is frequently mediated by plasmids that are transferable or mobilisable. These fundamental observations have transformed the (sic) studies of the pathogenic E. coli of animals, and potentially those of man. They have opened up a wide field of investigation which is now being pursued in a number of countries. Herbert Williams Smith's demonstrations of the relationship between plasmid-determined heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxins, and of the activity of plasmid-mediated haemolysins and adhesive surface antigens of pathogenic E. coli, have resulted in important advances in the understanding of factors that control pathogenicity in these organisms.
AccessStatusClosed
Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA530Smith; Herbert Williams (1919 - 1987)1919 - 1987
Add to My Items
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Useful Links

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    Papers of Robert Boyle
    Papers of Robert Boyle
    Campi Phlegraei
    Campi Phlegraei
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    Papers of Colin Pillinger
    Papers of Colin Pillinger
    Browse Collections

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView