Obituary

Professor Margaretha Isaacson, a popular and active member of ISTM, passed away recently in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although a diminutive figure physically, Professor Isaacson had immense stature internationally in both tropical medicine and in the broader medical academic communities. Born in the Netherlands, Professor Isaacson survived childhood internment in a Nazi concentration camp. Shrugging off a childhood whose horrors cannot even be imagined by most of us, she immigrated to Israel at the time of the state’s creation. From there she found her way to South Africa and her career in tropical medicine. Margaretha was involved in the investigation and documentation of the very first Ebola outbreak known to medical science. She remained involved in ongoing studies into this feared disease, and Africa’s other viral haemorraghic fevers.

Margaretha’s interests also included plague, and many residents of northern Namibia can thank her for being instrumental in helping to contain this disease. Prior to that she was involved in the global campaign to eradicate smallpox. At the time of her death, she was a consultant to the World Health Organization on biological warfare.

I was privileged to have been taught by Professor Isaacson, who set the highest standards integrating the art of clinical practice with the rigor of scientific investigation. A wealth of irreplaceable clinical experience and a great teacher have been lost.

Stephen Toovey, MD
Santon, South Africa