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Professor David A.A. Mossel
International Journal of Food Microbiology 105 (2005) 275 – 277 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijfoodmicro
Obituary
Professor David A.A. Mossel
David Mossel died suddenly on 30 August 2004, after a normal busy day participating in the opening ceremonies of the new academic year at the University of Utrecht. David was a founder member in 1953 of the International Committee for Food Microbiology and Hygiene (ICFMH). Most people of David’s age would have by now retired to a quiet life, tending the garden, but David lived his life and his passion for food safety to the full and right up to the last moment. David was born of Jewish parents in Amsterdam in 1918. Later he converted to the Catholic Church. He was studying medicine at the University of Leiden when war broke out. He joined the resistance and was doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2005.06.001
imprisoned by the occupying Nazi forces in 1942. Initially his imprisonment was relatively benign, as he was working for the Dutch electrical company, Philips, who managed to protect many detainees by asking for their assistance in their research and development effort. Later he was moved through Europe from one concentration camp to another (Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Melk and Ebensee), but managed to survive as a result of his medical duties, which exempted him from some of the harshest treatment, enabling him to practice microbiological skills, particularly in the detection of TB among the prisoners, and of VD among the guards—the latter work earning him much needed extra food. By May 1945, he was working in a former Austrian salt mine, now a construction plant for weapons and was liberated by the British. He spent a few months working with the American army—no doubt honing up his English— before returning to the Netherlands and learning that both his parents had died in a concentration camp in 1943. He was repatriated to a recovery centre in Valkenburg, where Princess Juliana visited the repatriates guided by Burgomaster P. Hens. Here David met Hens and later Hens’ daughter Helen, whom he married in 1947. In 1946 he became assistant in the food microbiology section at Utrecht University. In 1948 he was appointed Head of the Department of Food Microbiology at the Central Institute of Nutrition and Food Research (dTNOT) Utrecht/Zeist. He obtained his PhD in 1949 from the University of Utrecht on water binding and water determination in foods. From then on his career went from strength to strength. Probably as a result of seeing the misery caused by food shortages and unsafe food, and conscious how narrowly he escaped death in the war, he devoted his life to improving the safety and keeping
276
Obituary
quality of food worldwide. His exceptional linguistic ability (he spoke English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, as well as his native Dutch), charm and skill as a teacher were huge assets in this task. In addition to his teaching, he published over 300 research papers and about 10 food microbiology textbooks. His overall theme can be summarised as bprevention of foodborne microbial diseases, and development of methods for validation and verification of the efficacy of inversion technologiesQ. Probably the two publications by which he would most like to be remembered are the review he wrote with Maurice Ingram [The physiology of the microbial spoilage of foods, J. Appl. Bacteriol. 18 (1955), 232–268], and his book, published by John Wiley in 1995 (Essentials of the Microbiology of Foods, a Textbook for Advanced Studies). This book was the culmination of about 20 years’ work and summarises David’s philosophy for achieving safe and wholesome food. Wiley never succeeded in persuading him to reduce the huge numbers of citations, so 202 of the 649 pages are references. The book listed many of his own papers, and during the nine years since the book was published, he has written about 60 more. Microbiologists whose views and work influenced David most include Sir Graham Wilson, author of Topley and Wilson and late director of the Central Public Health Laboratory, London, and Professor Maurice Ingram (whom he visited first in Cambridge soon after he started work at TNO), as well as Professors Buttiaux and Beerens (Institute Pasteur, Lille) and Professor Jacques Monod (Paris). His latest published paper (May 2004 in this journal) is entitled bAssessment of the microbial integrity, sensu G.S. Wilson, of piped and bottled drinking water in condition as ingested.Q He taught at the University of Louvian (as a full professor from 1968), and the University of Utrecht (full professor from 1973 to 1984, then Professor Emeritus). The ICFMH was an organisation of particular importance to David, who was president for many years, until 1994, and then Honorary Vice President until his death. It was on his initiative that the International Journal of Food Microbiology was launched in 1984, and it has since become a highly successful and truly international journal. ICFMH sponsors international food microbiology symposia biennially. The latest, Food Micro 2004, was held in
Slovenia last September, and David was due to attend. Fortunately, David did contribute in his unforgettable and unique style to a very important and successful ICFMH Workshop: Food Safety in Africa in December 2003 in Stellebosch, South Africa, attended by food microbiologist from 22 African countries. Besides ICFMH, David was also involved in the founding of the International Commissions for Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) in 1962 and a member until he resigned in 1975. Hence, he was involved in the first two of their seminal Microorganisms in Foods series. (1) Their Significance and Methods of Enumeration (1968) and (2) Sampling for Microbiological Analysis: Principles and Specific Applications (1974). He held visiting professorship in many countries including Peru, Spain, US, Philippines, Thailand and Australia, as well being awarded honorary doctorates, and memberships of numerous national societies. Besides numerous food microbiology course in Latin America (for which he had a special affection) Spain and other countries, he taught at the annual WHO Postgraduate Course in Food Microbiology in Lille, France, from 1957, and at the biennial WHO Advanced Food Microbiology course at Guildford, UK. His linguistic feats at these courses were legendary. James Barnett lectured in English on yeasts at the Lille course 1 year, with David giving a simultaneous translation into French except, according to James, it was not a mere translation; useful additions were made (appreciated by James, who knew more French than appeared). David was, of course, an intrepid traveller and had a few exciting tales to tell, In September 1970, he was flying to New York by Pan-Am when his jumbo jet, and several other planes, were hijacked by the PFLP to the Middle East. He was chosen as spokesman and successfully persuaded the female guerilla to allow the passengers off before blowing up the plane at Cairo. From then on, he avoided Pan-Am. Since his dretirement,T David has been concentrating on teaching his main message-integrated food quality control from conception to consumption. This has been via the Eijkman Foundation in collaboration with Corry Struijk, training postgraduate students and initiating research projects in public health food microbiology. In collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire, England, the Eijkman Founda-
Obituary
tion has recently set up a module on Public Health Microbiology of Food and Drinking Water, which is part a distance learning MSc in Education for Public Health Science. David’s imposing presence (he was well over 6 ft tall) will be much missed, not only by his wife, Helen, his five children and eight grandchildren, but also by the whole international food microbiology community. There is no doubt that he will long be remembered with affection, and that his message and work will live on after him.
277
We are grateful for help in writing this from various people, including James Barnett, Alan Kitchell, David Post, Terry Roberts, Niels Skovgaard, Corry Struijk and especially Mrs. Helen Mossel and her daughter, Magreet. Janet E.L. Corry, Wilhelm Holzapfel and the Board Members of ICFMH. (This is modified version of the obituary that was published in the December 2004 edition of the Society for Applied Microbiology journal, The Microbiologist, reproduced with permission.)
Obituary
Professor David A.A. Mossel
David Mossel died suddenly on 30 August 2004, after a normal busy day participating in the opening ceremonies of the new academic year at the University of Utrecht. David was a founder member in 1953 of the International Committee for Food Microbiology and Hygiene (ICFMH). Most people of David’s age would have by now retired to a quiet life, tending the garden, but David lived his life and his passion for food safety to the full and right up to the last moment. David was born of Jewish parents in Amsterdam in 1918. Later he converted to the Catholic Church. He was studying medicine at the University of Leiden when war broke out. He joined the resistance and was doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2005.06.001
imprisoned by the occupying Nazi forces in 1942. Initially his imprisonment was relatively benign, as he was working for the Dutch electrical company, Philips, who managed to protect many detainees by asking for their assistance in their research and development effort. Later he was moved through Europe from one concentration camp to another (Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Melk and Ebensee), but managed to survive as a result of his medical duties, which exempted him from some of the harshest treatment, enabling him to practice microbiological skills, particularly in the detection of TB among the prisoners, and of VD among the guards—the latter work earning him much needed extra food. By May 1945, he was working in a former Austrian salt mine, now a construction plant for weapons and was liberated by the British. He spent a few months working with the American army—no doubt honing up his English— before returning to the Netherlands and learning that both his parents had died in a concentration camp in 1943. He was repatriated to a recovery centre in Valkenburg, where Princess Juliana visited the repatriates guided by Burgomaster P. Hens. Here David met Hens and later Hens’ daughter Helen, whom he married in 1947. In 1946 he became assistant in the food microbiology section at Utrecht University. In 1948 he was appointed Head of the Department of Food Microbiology at the Central Institute of Nutrition and Food Research (dTNOT) Utrecht/Zeist. He obtained his PhD in 1949 from the University of Utrecht on water binding and water determination in foods. From then on his career went from strength to strength. Probably as a result of seeing the misery caused by food shortages and unsafe food, and conscious how narrowly he escaped death in the war, he devoted his life to improving the safety and keeping
276
Obituary
quality of food worldwide. His exceptional linguistic ability (he spoke English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, as well as his native Dutch), charm and skill as a teacher were huge assets in this task. In addition to his teaching, he published over 300 research papers and about 10 food microbiology textbooks. His overall theme can be summarised as bprevention of foodborne microbial diseases, and development of methods for validation and verification of the efficacy of inversion technologiesQ. Probably the two publications by which he would most like to be remembered are the review he wrote with Maurice Ingram [The physiology of the microbial spoilage of foods, J. Appl. Bacteriol. 18 (1955), 232–268], and his book, published by John Wiley in 1995 (Essentials of the Microbiology of Foods, a Textbook for Advanced Studies). This book was the culmination of about 20 years’ work and summarises David’s philosophy for achieving safe and wholesome food. Wiley never succeeded in persuading him to reduce the huge numbers of citations, so 202 of the 649 pages are references. The book listed many of his own papers, and during the nine years since the book was published, he has written about 60 more. Microbiologists whose views and work influenced David most include Sir Graham Wilson, author of Topley and Wilson and late director of the Central Public Health Laboratory, London, and Professor Maurice Ingram (whom he visited first in Cambridge soon after he started work at TNO), as well as Professors Buttiaux and Beerens (Institute Pasteur, Lille) and Professor Jacques Monod (Paris). His latest published paper (May 2004 in this journal) is entitled bAssessment of the microbial integrity, sensu G.S. Wilson, of piped and bottled drinking water in condition as ingested.Q He taught at the University of Louvian (as a full professor from 1968), and the University of Utrecht (full professor from 1973 to 1984, then Professor Emeritus). The ICFMH was an organisation of particular importance to David, who was president for many years, until 1994, and then Honorary Vice President until his death. It was on his initiative that the International Journal of Food Microbiology was launched in 1984, and it has since become a highly successful and truly international journal. ICFMH sponsors international food microbiology symposia biennially. The latest, Food Micro 2004, was held in
Slovenia last September, and David was due to attend. Fortunately, David did contribute in his unforgettable and unique style to a very important and successful ICFMH Workshop: Food Safety in Africa in December 2003 in Stellebosch, South Africa, attended by food microbiologist from 22 African countries. Besides ICFMH, David was also involved in the founding of the International Commissions for Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) in 1962 and a member until he resigned in 1975. Hence, he was involved in the first two of their seminal Microorganisms in Foods series. (1) Their Significance and Methods of Enumeration (1968) and (2) Sampling for Microbiological Analysis: Principles and Specific Applications (1974). He held visiting professorship in many countries including Peru, Spain, US, Philippines, Thailand and Australia, as well being awarded honorary doctorates, and memberships of numerous national societies. Besides numerous food microbiology course in Latin America (for which he had a special affection) Spain and other countries, he taught at the annual WHO Postgraduate Course in Food Microbiology in Lille, France, from 1957, and at the biennial WHO Advanced Food Microbiology course at Guildford, UK. His linguistic feats at these courses were legendary. James Barnett lectured in English on yeasts at the Lille course 1 year, with David giving a simultaneous translation into French except, according to James, it was not a mere translation; useful additions were made (appreciated by James, who knew more French than appeared). David was, of course, an intrepid traveller and had a few exciting tales to tell, In September 1970, he was flying to New York by Pan-Am when his jumbo jet, and several other planes, were hijacked by the PFLP to the Middle East. He was chosen as spokesman and successfully persuaded the female guerilla to allow the passengers off before blowing up the plane at Cairo. From then on, he avoided Pan-Am. Since his dretirement,T David has been concentrating on teaching his main message-integrated food quality control from conception to consumption. This has been via the Eijkman Foundation in collaboration with Corry Struijk, training postgraduate students and initiating research projects in public health food microbiology. In collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire, England, the Eijkman Founda-
Obituary
tion has recently set up a module on Public Health Microbiology of Food and Drinking Water, which is part a distance learning MSc in Education for Public Health Science. David’s imposing presence (he was well over 6 ft tall) will be much missed, not only by his wife, Helen, his five children and eight grandchildren, but also by the whole international food microbiology community. There is no doubt that he will long be remembered with affection, and that his message and work will live on after him.
277
We are grateful for help in writing this from various people, including James Barnett, Alan Kitchell, David Post, Terry Roberts, Niels Skovgaard, Corry Struijk and especially Mrs. Helen Mossel and her daughter, Magreet. Janet E.L. Corry, Wilhelm Holzapfel and the Board Members of ICFMH. (This is modified version of the obituary that was published in the December 2004 edition of the Society for Applied Microbiology journal, The Microbiologist, reproduced with permission.)