Edward A. Watson | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Edward A. Watson

Edward A. Watson, veterinarian, pathologist, researcher (b in Devon, Eng 2 Jan 1879; d at Victoria 12 Mar 1945). He came to Canada in 1896 and, with a brother, homesteaded in Saskatchewan.

Watson, Edward A.

Edward A. Watson, veterinarian, pathologist, researcher (b in Devon, Eng 2 Jan 1879; d at Victoria 12 Mar 1945). He came to Canada in 1896 and, with a brother, homesteaded in Saskatchewan. He served in the army during the SOUTH AFRICAN WAR, where he had an opportunity to develop an interest in veterinary medicine. On his return to Canada he entered the Ontario Veterinary College and graduated in 1904. While in charge of the Lethbridge (Alta) Animal Pathology Laboratory (1906-15), he carried out important research on dourine, a disease of horses. During World War II he was in charge of a bacteriological laboratory in France. After the war he was appointed chief of the pathology division of the federal Department of Agriculture (1919-42) and established the Animal Diseases Research Institute.

Watson was a persistent and dedicated laboratory worker and researcher. His work in dourine is but one example of his numerous studies on animal diseases. His many ideas, born of an international outlook on science, formed the basis for veterinary research in Canada.

See alsoPARASITOLOGY; VETERINARY MEDICINE.