THOMAS JONATHAN BURRILL (1839-1916)
"Fire Blight" Caused by a Bacterium, Pioneer of Plant Pathology
by King-Thom Chung, Department of Biology, The University of Memphis
We learned so far that many animal and human diseases caused my microbes. But microbes can also cause plant diseases. One of the pioneer of studying the relationships between microbes and plant is Thomas J. Burril, who was probably the first to study the plant disease "Fire-blight". He represents the American pioneer spirit of the time. His life story is impressive and much worth for us to learn.
Thomas was born on April 25, 1939, near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His father was John Burrill and mother Mary Francis. John Burrill was a native of Penrith, England, came to the United States in 1818, settling first in Pawtucket, Rhode Islands, where he worked in Slater's cotton mill. The family was influnced by the tide of westward emigration at the time, and moved to Stephenson County in northern Illinois when Thomas was only nine years of age (1848). They settled on a farm. Thomas helped his father on the farm and attended country school a few months each winter. At the age of nineteen, he entered high school in Freeport. Because he was a painfully and self-consciously boy, he felt misery in school and quitted. Next year, he tried again in the Rockford high school, where he graduated and entered the Illinois State Normal University at the age of twenty-three (1862) and graduated in 1865.
Thomas was a hard learning student. At the Illinois State Normal University, he came in contact with good teachers. His teacher of botany was Dr. J. A. Sewall, Curator of the Museum of the State Natural History Society located in Normal. Thomas was inspired by him greatly. Because he attended the annual meetings of the Society of Natural History held in nearby in Bloomington, Thomas was further stimulated to his love for natural history.
His career was a rather lucky one. During 1865 to 1868, Thomas was appointed the position of Superintendent of the Urbana public schools. But he spent a lot of his spare time to study the flora of the Urbana area. In the summer of 1867, he was selected as a botanist to accompany Major John W. Powell to explore the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and surrounding regions. Next year in the spring of 1868, he was called to the Illinois Industrial University (Now the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana) in Urbana to teach algebra. He was made Assistant Professor of Natural History and Botany later. Two years later, 1870, he was promoted to the professorship of Botany and Horticulture. Academic advancement at those days was much easier and quicker than now. He then became established for a life of active and influential service on the faculty of the University of Illinois. He was professor of Botany and Horticulture in 1870 to 1903, and professor of Botany in 1903-1912. He took charge of the university library as its first librarian and was secretary of the faculty in 1970 to 1883. He was dean of College of Science from 1878-1884.; dean of general faculty, 1894-1901; vice president of the university, 1879-1912; botanist of the agricultural experiment station, 1888-1912. Upon his retirement in 1912, he was made professor emeritus until his death in1916.
Thomas Burrill began his academic career by teaching. He taught most of the day in many subjects. He was a horticulturist to the experiment station. He planted with his own hands most of the trees on the campus of the University of Illinois. He had a extensive love for trees. He was frequently heard to say, "Were I a heathen, not knowing the true God, I would not worship the sun,----but would bow in adoration to the trees and herbs of the fields. " In an Oriental old saying " It takes tenths of years to plant trees; it takes hundredth years to nourish human talents." He indeed planted the trees and also nourished human talents.
He was a hard working man. His worked from sun-up to midnight or until things should be done at that day. He was very much interested with the natural history of the State of Illinois. In 1869, he organized a group including himself, collected a large number of natural history specimens from Chicago to Cairo in the State of Illinois. He brought back specimens including 582 plants for preservation and study. In 1875, he made a collection of the woods of the state for the Centennial Exposition. In addition to teaching, he wrote reports, collected specimen from everywhere in the State of Illinois , served on numerous committees, nourished young scientists and did experiments. His administrative skill also greatly contributed to the growth and development of the University of Illinois. With little remnant of his time, he was charged by the Board with the sales of mules. He lived a strenuous life indeed.
The most significant contribution of Burrill to science is in the field of Phytopathology, in which he is indeed a pioneer. Burrill became interested in the disease of pear-blight. He noticed that might be a bacterial disease. Although the bacterial disease in animals is common, bacterial disease in plant is never heard. Burrill presented his preliminary study on this malady in State Horticultural Society in 1878. He described the organism seen in the tissue. He transmitted the disease by transferring the exudation from the diseased plant to bark of healthy trees. Finally he conclusively proved that bacteria caused disease in plants and identified the organism as Micrococcus amylovorus. These results were published in the Reports of Illinois Industrial University in 1882 and also in the American Naturalists in 1883. Although his findings were accepted generally by American botanists, but were doubted by his contemporary in Europe. Through much effort, his theory was proved to be totally correct.
He continued to study the bacterial diseases of sorghum and brown corn in 1886 and 1888. In 1885 to 1891, he became active in taxonomic work and planed to publish a volume on the Cryptogenic flora of Illinois. Unfortunately he did not finish his publications, because he was appointed as acting president for the University; the administrative duty diverted much of his time. But instead, he published two monographs: one was on the rusts, the other on the mildews of Illinois. Both of them were valuable mycological literature. From, 1902, he carried on extensive investigation on the bitter-rot of apple, which caused a great damage in Southern Illinois. He also engaged in the study of ear-rots of corn, potato scab, rust of blackberry, and raspberry, and peach "yellow." All of this work, owned him as a pioneer in the field of phytopathology. Professor Burrill was devoted to agriculture for the benefit of better living in the state of Illinois. His contribution to the Illinois College of Agriculture is immensely.
Professor Burrill was granted the degree of A.M. by the Northwestern University in 1876. In 1881, the University of Chicago conferred the honorary degree of Ph.D. upon him. The University of Northwestern University also granted him the honorary degree of LL.D. degree in 1893. In 1912, just before his formal retirement, the University of Illinois conferred him the honorary degree of LL.D. There were many honors he received from the various scientific societies of which he was a member. He was elected President of the National Bacteriological Association in 1916. He was member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and elected Vice-President in 1885. He was President of the American Microscopy Society, 1885-1903, and secretary, 1886-1889. He was also a member of Botanical Society of America, International Botanical Society, American Society of Naturalists, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Illinois Academy of Science,and the University Club, Urbana, Illinios.
Professor Burrill's public service is also very impressive. In 1889, he was invited as one of three Commissioners by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to settle a controversy concerning a prevalent bacterial disease of pigs. In 1895, he was appointed by Governor John P. Altgeld of Illinois to investigate and report on the
subject of tuberculosis in the state prisons.
After his retirement, he became engaged in active research on symbiosis between nodule bacteria and legiminous plants. He carried this research till the end of his life in 1916.
One more thing worthy of mention, Professor Burrill was among the first American botanists to introduce and use the compound microscope in the biological laboratory. He was also the first to organize a bacteriological laboratory in an American State University; and one of the two or three first American writers on plant diseases.
Professor Burrill was a generous and sincerely religious man. He was an ideal companion and a resourceful person, and always was capable of seeing the amusing side of a situation. And his life is full of vigorous activities. He enjoyed his study of plant life, horticulture and forestry. He also enjoyed amateur photography and camp life. As his close friend Professor S. A. Forbes put it : "He loved people better than things, education better than science, and others better than himself." He laid the foundation of phytopathogy, which extends the horizon of the contribution of microbiology. He published more than 100 research papers on scientific and educational subjects.
Burrill married Sarah Helen Alexander, daughter of Ephraim Alexander of Schenectadys, New York, on July 22, 1868. at Urbana, Illinois. Two children were born to them. He died at Urbana, Illinois, April 14, 1916.