165th Anniversary of Birth of David Bruce, Pathologist and Microbiologist

That the Parliament commemorates the 165th anniversary of the birth of David Bruce, pathologist and microbiologist, who was born on 29 May 1855, grew up in Stirling and died on 27 November 1931; understands that Bruce initially began an apprenticeship in 1869 but pneumonia forced him to abandon this and he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh from 1876; is aware that, after a brief period as a general practitioner, he joined the Army Medical Service and was posted to Malta on military duty, where he found the hospitals full of patients suffering from a mysterious complaint, which sometimes resembled typhoid fever and sometimes malaria known as Malta or undulant fever; is aware that, within two years, Bruce had discovered its cause, Micrococcus melitensis, now known as Brucella after him; notes that, posted to South Africa, Bruce also identified the causative protozoan and tsetse fly vector, of African Trypanosoma brucei, known as "sleeping sickness”; recognises that Bruce served on the Army Medical Service Advisory Board from 1902 to 1911 and in 1914 became Commander of the Royal Army Medical College, a position he held until his retirement as a Major-General in 1919 and President of the British Science Association 1924-25; acknowledges that Bruce was awarded many honours for his work, including Knight Commander of the Bath, and that, during his career he published more than 97 technical articles, of which about 30 were co-authored by his wife, Mary, who predeceased him by only four days, and believes that this anniversary should be used to recognise and celebrate the important contributions of this influential Scot to medicine.