A distinguished British expert in the study of malaria, who devoted many years to leading research in The Gambia, died in England on February 1 st.

Sir Ian McGregor worked in MRC Fajara from 1949 to 1953, and was Director there from 1954 to 1974, and again from 1978 to 1980.

He was born in Scotland in 1922, and after qualifying at Glasgow University in 1945 served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt and Palestine.

In The Gambia, he conducted research in Keneba, Kiang West, and subsequently published a paper (in 1952) on malaria, malnutrition and parasitism. Over ensuing years, he established the scientific reputation of the MRC Laboratories in The Gambia as one of the world’s foremost scientific insitutions for tropical research. He maintained strong links with other scientisits and published almost 200 papers. In 1988, he published ‘Malaria: Principles and Practice of Malariology’, described as ‘the essential reference book on the subject’.

From 1961 and for almost 40 years now, Sir Ian was Chairman and Consultant to several WHO expert committees on malaria.

After leaving The Gambia, he was made a Professorial Fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

He was made CBE in 1968 and given a knighthood in 1982; and was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine between 1983 and 1985.

As an obituary in the Glasgow Herald declared: ‘Asked to name a well-known champion of Africa, children of the Bush-Blair years might be tempted to say Bob Geldorf, Bono or Bill Gates. Those of an older generation who experienced the rampant malaria might well respond by naming Sir Ian McGregor...’

Sir Ian was described as a sunny-natured, totally-dedicated man. He made many friends in The Gambia, and news of his death will sadden them.