Roger James Rossiter

Roger James Rossiter

Roger James Rossiter, biochemist, neurological scientist (b at Glenelg, Australia 24 July 1913; d at Helsinki, Finland 21 Feb 1976). Rossiter pioneered studies of the nervous system's chemical composition and was prominent in the development of biochemistry in Canada. Educated in Australia and at Oxford, he trained as a medical scientist under Sir Rudolph Peters. During WWII Rossiter conducted army research on malaria and burn injuries and studied malnutrition in repatriated prisoners of war. He immigrated to London, Ont, in 1947 as head of Western's department of biochemistry, where he later became dean of graduate studies and vice-president. Rossiter established an active research group which rapidly acquired an international reputation for studies on brain biochemistry. Over the years his work led to elucidation of lipid components in the nerve myelin sheath and processes involved in formation or degradation of these key structural elements in relation to development or to degenerative diseases of the nervous system.