Preview

PDF 1925_MacKenzie_...pdf | Download (170kB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.

Abstract

Professor WM. Colin Mackenzie, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.R.S.-Director National Museum of Australian Zoology.
Up till recent times the appeal for the preservation of
the unique fauna of our country has been based largely on
sentiment. Today, thanks to poison and the gun, we recognise
that many of our animals that were common twenty
years ago are becoming increasingly rare, and within a short
period of time will have completely disappeared, never to be
recalled. In this paper I wish to draw attention to what is
now the most urgent plea for the preservation of our fauna,
viz., its importance for a correct understanding of the human body in health and disease.
The animals of Australia and Tasmania are teeming
with points of scientific interest. Through them human complexities
are revealed in their simpler form.
In Canberra, The Research
Reservation, is located on Acton Hill, not far from Civic Place, and facing Parliament House and the Capitol site.It is a peninsula of, about 80 acres, bounded by the
River Molonglo, and facing Black Mountain. It lies in what
is known as the Continental Arboretum. Here will be kept
live specimens of Australian and Tasmanian native animals
in their natural state. When the buildings are erected Canberra will become the world's centre for the study of our unique fauna and every facility will be offered to workers
not only Australian, but also from abroad, wishing to study
comparative anatomy and its application to modern medical
and surgical practice.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	MacKenzie, William Colin
Keywords:	Royal Society of Tasmania, RST, Van Diemens Land, natural history, science, ecology, taxonomy, botany, zoology, geology, geography, papers & proceedings, Australia, UTAS Library
Journal or Publication Title:	Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
ISSN:	0080-4703
Collections:	Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Additional Information:	Copyright Royal Society of Tasmania
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

Actions (login required)

Item Control Page