Ashburton Thompson
John Ashburton Thompson (1846-1915)
Appointed chief medical officer and president of the Board of Health in 1896.
His observation and analysis of the 1900 bubonic plague in The Rocks area in Sydney and its recurrences endorsed the unfavoured theory of the French scientist P. L. Simond that the flea was the transmitter of the plague bacillus. Thompson's reports were 'models of cogent reasoning' and his conclusions were of prime practical importance in combating the disease; he showed that plague is primarily a disease of rats, transmitted only by the flea to rats and humans, and could best be prevented by the mass culling of rats and making occupied buildings rat-proof.
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE. ACTION BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH. PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED.
Ashburton Thompson recommends precautions against plague in Sydney after outbreaks at Noumea and the Sandwich Islands
Dr Ashburton Thompson Interviewed
Dr. Ashburton Thompson reassured the public that there was no immediate cause for panic, explaining that bubonic plague was less contagious than commonly believed and that effective precautions were being taken. While he believed the disease would eventually reach Australia, he was confident that prompt public health measures could prevent it from becoming established in Sydney.