AEROSPACE MEDICINE IN SOUTH AFRICA – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Drs Ken Ingham and Chris le Roux
Aviation in South Africa began shortly after the 1903 flight, of Wilbur and
Orvile Wright at Kitty Hawk on 17 December. In 1907 John Weston built the
first aircraft on South African soil at Brandfort in the Orange Free State.
In 1909 Albert Kimmerling delighted South Africans with aerial displays all
over the country in an imported Voisin. In 1911 E.F. Driver of
Pietermaritzburg, together with Captain Guy Livingstone and C.
Compton-Paterson, established the African Aviation Syndicate. Also in 1911
The Aeronautical Society of South Africa was formed in Pretoria. Candidates
were required to have a good working knowledge of motorcycles and motorcars,
and had to be single, under 35 years of age, and with perfect eyesight at
short and long distances, without the aid of glasses. These were the first
flight medical standards in South Africa.
In 1913 Brig-Gen C.F. Beyers and Gen J.C. Smuts signed an official agreement
with Compton-Paterson at Kimberley on 10 September 1913, in terms of which
the training of military pilots in South Africa was entrusted to
Compton-Paterson. The world famous De Beers Company made available a
suitable piece of land at Alexandersfontein just outside Kimberley, where
the first fully equipped military airfield in SA was established. Training
began on 28 July 1913 and ended in January 1914. The first instructor was an
Australian, E.W. Cheeseman, who trained the first nine future SA pilots.
Cheeseman also became the first SA fatality due to flying, after a fatal
accident on 15 October 1913.
Causes of death were “fracture and internal haemorrhage, before the accident
his physical resistance had been weakened by malaria”.
Dr Danie Cravan of rugby fame and Prof Jokkel, later of “Physical Fitness”
at Stellenbosch University, played a key role at Diskobolos near Kimberley
in aircrew selection and fitnesss training!
In 1915 the South African Aviation Corps, with the pilots trained by
Cheeseman, was formed for active war duty in German South West Africa. The
first SA military aviation base was established at Walvis Bay.
During the first world war many South Africans, went for flying training in
Britain. Later a flying training school was established in Kimberley using
Phoenix aeroplanes.
The birth of the Royal Air Force in Britain was brought about by South
Africa’s General Jan Smuts by virtue of the "Smuts Memorandum". He
recommended the "Amalgamation of the Royal Navy Air Service and the Royal
Flying Corps into a "New Air Service." the "Air Force Act" received royal
accent on 29 November 1917.
The RAF was announced by “Royal Proclamation" on 7 March 1918. (THE OFFICIAL
HISTORY OF WAR IN THE AIR. VOL VI-; H.A. JONES)
After the Great War (World War I ) the need was felt in South Africa to
established an own Air Force. This task was begun in 1920 by Pierre van
Ryneveld, one of those South African pilots who had distinguished themselves
in this War.
In 1920, after helping the British during the war, South Africa received a
gift of some 100 aircraft and hangers from the Royal Air Force. To this very
day these hangers are still in use at Swartkops Air Force Base. This was the
beginning of the South African Air Force (SAAF) under the leadership of Lt
Col (later General) Sir Pierre H.A. van Ryneveld on 1 February 1920. Tthe
shipping of supplies started in September 1919, giving rise to Zwartkop air
force base outside Pretoria. On 4 February 1920 Lt Col H.A. van Ryneveld,
with his companion, Flight Lt Q. Brand, took off in their Vickers Vimy
“Silver Queen” from Weybridge in England, and after many mishaps and
ordeals, landed in Cape Town on 20 March 1920.
In 1922 the Aviation Wing of the South African Medical Corps was established
under leadership of Maj J. H. Porteus, a medical officer from the RAF, who
was seconded to the SA Aviation Corps. He had to examine the initial SAAF
pilots, and had to train local physicians in the selection of pilots. This
was really the first step in the development of Aviation Medicine in South
Africa.
The South African Airways was born in 1937. Since the medical evaluation of
aircrew had been established in the SA Air Force and since most of the first
civilian pilots of the SA Airways were demobilised Air Force pilots anyway,
no need arose for the duplication of the scarce resource of medical
personnel experienced in aviation medicine.
The Second World War added fresh impetus to the medical and psychological
evaluation of air crew, particularly at abinitio pupil pilots navigators
level. The Central Medical Establishment (CME) had been established as a
separate Air Force Unit in 1941 and the SA Common-Wealth Air Crew training
program which produced 33 343 air crew between 1940-1945, kept this aviation
medical organisation very busy.
The short recess in conflict was soon to be followed in 1949 by the Berlin
Air Lift and South Africa’s involvement with the United Nations in Korea
from October 1950 to September 1953. All the while the Institute for
Aviation Medicine grew and continued to examine ALTP, COMM, and PPL pilots,
as the only centre of excellence capable of doing so, on an agency basis for
the department of Transport, Directorate of Civil Aviation.
In the period 1960-1990 the Air Force upgraded to Supersonic Aircraft and
the need for Aviation Medicine grew a-pace. A new Institution for Aviation
Medicine was built to house the new technologies including centrifuge,
decompression chambers, re-compression chambers and other specialised
equipment. Further training in Aviation Medicine took place and 1 250
doctors were trained to certificate level in order to conduct medical
examinations in the private sector throughout the country. This was then the
first time that the medical examination of civilian pilots passed into
civilian hands starting with the South African Airways itself.
However, since the expensive equipment and technology was still housed at
the Institute for Aviation Medicine, all disputes, reviews and appeals, were
and are still referred to this organisation as the centre of excellence in
Sub Saharan Africa. In 1995 IAM maintained 38 615 active pilot records: 32
380 civilian and 6 235 military.
In order to raise and maintain standards, the IAM in co-operation with the
Medical School of The Health Sciences Faculty, University of Pretoria; has
introduced post-graduate training for medical doctors in this discipline.
Honours, Masters and Doctorate degrees can be obtained. IAM still remains
the key-player in this agreement which renders a service both to military
and civilian aviation personnel in the SAAF and those under jurisdiction of
the SA Civil Aviation Authority.
The Institute has already trained 6 Angolan doctors to diploma level and
will be training many more from Sub Saharan Africa. It makes imminent sense
for our neighbours to travel the short distance to Pretoria, than thousands
of miles overseas. As relationships in the sub region normalise, it is
possible that greater use is made of this facility, rather than duplicating
it in neighbouring countries, at great expense.
South Africa can even be involved in Space Medicine through these graduate
programmes mentioned above. South Africa remains very much on the map as a
centre of regional excellence for Aerospace and Maritime Medicine (Baromedicine)
and trust that this asset will be of mutual benefit to our region,
encouraging interdependency, prosperity and peace.
THE FOUNDING OF THE AEROSPACE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
(LATER CALLED: SA SOCIETY FOR AEROSPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE: SASAEM)
Dr Harry Z Gelman, Ophthalmic Surgeon as the Consultant Ophthalmologist to
the South African Airways wrote a letter on 10 June 1975 to Dr Marius v.d.
Spuy, Director of SAA’s medical division suggesting that SA should host an
International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine.
In this well researched and motivated letter, Dr Gelman also suggested that
SAA should become corporate member of the American Aerospace Medical
Association – which to this very day is still maintained!
Based on his careful consideration and extensive experience i.r.o. the above
two suggestions, dr Gelman even booked the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg
provisionally on 27th June 1975 as conference centre to host the
International Congress of Aviation & Space Medicine in 1976!
In the same spirit of wanting to achieve maximum advantage for S.A. and our
science, he negotiated with the office of the then Minister of Tourism of
the SA Government who enthusiastically and unanimously supported the idea
and promised substantial financial and other support to dr Gelman.
Armed with all these “Go-ahead” greenlights Dr Harry Z and Mrs Joan Gelman
managed against high odds to attend the 23rd ICASM conference in Mexico at
the end of September 1975 in order to win the 1976 ICASM for South Africa.
And they succeeded! Remember that that was during the years of SA’s
worldwide isolation!
Harry and Joan knew most of the world’s major role players in aerospace
medicine personally. Their combined skills, experience and diplomacy made
them a formidable team. The fact that Joan Gelman has been chosen as
chairperson of the International Reception Committee of the (big) American
Aerospace Medical Association for 2 years in succession at that time
underscores this. That in itself is quite a unique honour which has never
been given to a non-American citizen at the time!
Dr Charles Berry writes about the “Gelman team”: ‘Your very superb
presentation of the arrangement made thus far in so short time period
….shows your farsighted thought and motivation in planning………..’
Dr Marius v.d. Spuy, Director of Aviation Medicine of the SAA, writes in his
letter of 20 October 1975 to the Minister of Tourism of SA:
“The fact that SA was awarded the International Congress of Aviation and
Space Medicine by the Academy which was one of the prestige meetings any
country could wish to have, was mainly due to Dr Gelman”.
In his letter informing the SA Minister of Tourism on October 24th , 1975
that the 24th ICASM has been awarded to SA, the President of the
International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine, Prof Dr Erwin A
Lauschner, summarized the situation accurately:
“The diplomacy of Dr Harry Z Gelman and the eloquent and enthusiastic manner
in which he addressed the Assembly together with your fine gesture of
providing an official Banquet and the granting of a state subsidy resulted
in a unanimous vote in favour of the Republic of South Africa”.
The fact is that for the first time in the history of the International
Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine it awarded its prestigious
International Congress to a non-member of the Academy!
At this stage Harry realized that SA should have its own aviation medicine
association and he formed our society. He even designed the original logo
himself! He used the American Aerospace Medical Association’s constitution
as a template to write our own.
The first elected Executive Committee of the SA Aviation Medical Association
at that time was:
Gen. Nichol Nieuwoudt (President)
Gen. James Gililand (President Elect)
Dr Harry Z Gelman (Honorary Secretary/Treasurer)
Dr M v.d. Spuy
Dr Labuschagne
Dr Giep Booysen
Dr Van Myburgh
Sir Humphry Hawkins.
For many years Dr Gelman served our society with dedication as its Honorary
Secretary / Treasurer.
The SASAEM already hosted two International Aviation and Space Medicine
Conferences. The first was held in Johannesburg in 1976.
The second one held in Cape Town in 1987 deserves special mention. During
this meeting, the late Lt. Gen. Nichol Niewoudt who was also President of
our Society was elected to the high office of President of the International
Academy for Aviation and Space Medicine!!
The previous presidents of our society are:
1. Gen.Nichol Nieuwoudt +
2. Gen. James Gilliland +
3. Dr Corrie Lategan +
4. Prof. D.P. Myburgh +
5. Gen. D.P. Knobel
6. Dr Derek Winstanly
7. Gen. Giep Booysen
8. Dr Eric Peters
9. Dr Chris le Roux
10. Dr Hannes Botha
11. Gen. Ken Ingham
12. Gen. Rinus van Rensburg
Some of them served more than one term of office like Gen. Giep Booysen who
served twice and others like the late Dr Corrie Lategan served one and a
half terms.
To be continued…..
