Professor Gerald Allan Kerkut: 19th August 1927 --- 6th March 2004.
Editor: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 1960 – 1993/4.
In 1988 Pergamon Press celebrated 40 years of publishing and Gerald Kerkut wrote about
the origins of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology to commemorate the event
(Kerkut 1988a) and followed this with a thought-provoking mini-review on possible
evolutionary futures for humans (Kerkut 1988b). He also re-published the original
foreword by Joseph Needham from the first number of Comp. Biochem. Physiol. in
which Needham stressed the need to explore the physiology and biochemistry of all phyla
and not restrict ourselves to just one class, the mammals. In the mid 1950s Gerald
considered there was a need for a journal covering comparative aspects of biochemistry
and physiology as at that time it was a rapidly developing subject with worldwide appeal.
He had also prepared a draft manuscript for a book on evolution and was looking for an
appropriate publisher (Kerkut 1960).
Gerald met Robert Maxwell in 1958 at the Pergamon Press offices in Fitzroy Square,
London, and discussed with Maxwell the possibility of Pergamon helping to start a new
journal. Around this period Pergamon had launched a number of new scientific journals.
Gerald was very impressed by Maxwell’s sympathetic approach to his request and quick
grasp of the situation. Robert Maxwell told Gerald to go ahead and see if there was a
market for a journal in comparative biochemistry and physiology. After investigating the
aims and objectives of established journals that published papers on comparative topics
Gerald concluded there was a gap. After further discussions Maxwell told Gerald to go
ahead with the journal and that Pergamon Press would publish it. Gerald assembled a
group of scientists interested in comparative biochemistry and physiology as his editorial
advisory board and went ahead requesting papers for his new journal. This was before the
days scientists worried about impact factors.The members of the first honorary editorial
board were: Baldwin (London), Ennor (Canberra), Florkin (Liège), Fox (La Jolla),
Kinosita (Tokyo), Koshtoyantz (Moscow), Lowenstein (Birmingham), Mason (Portland),
Pantin (Cambridge), Roche (Paris), Scholander (La Jolla), Wiersma (Pasadena) and
Zeuthen (Copenhagen). A number of whom published in the journal. Gerald also
recruited Bradley T. Scheer as his co-editor and they worked together for the first eleven
volumes.
The first number of Comp. Biochem. Physiol. appeared in March 1960 and I remember
Gerald coming into the laboratory excitedly clutching a copy, truly the birth of his baby.
Comp. Biochem. Physiol. proved to be one of his major contributions to scientific
publishing. Marcel Florkin succeeded Scheer as co-editor with Gerald and remained up
until 1979, volume 62, whereupon Gerald became sole editor. The journal which in its
first year consisted of 320 pages steadily grew and from volume 30 (1971) was published
in two parts, A – Comparative Physiology and B – Comparative Biochemistry. As
comparative studies expanded further and interest in other areas developed, a third part
was added in 1975, volume 50, viz, C – Comparative Pharmacology. Toxicology was
added later to Part C.
Over the years the number of papers accepted for publication increased and, for example,
in 1987 there were nearly 7,000 pages published from around 1,100 accepted
manuscripts. It should be remembered that at this period Gerald was the only editor and
editing such a volume of papers gives the reader an idea of the time and effort he put into
what he considered was very much his own journal. In addition a large number of book
reviews were published in Comp. Biochem. Physiol., the vast majority of which he
prepared himself. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. was now a major focus for scientists in
comparative aspects of biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and toxicology. Once
the journal was flourishing Gerald was approached by officials from both British and
American scientific societies saying they admired the journal and would like to take it
under the care of their particular society. However Gerald had always been very satisfied
with the support he received from Pergamon Press and he maintained the journal’s
independence and its link with Pergamon until Pergamon Press merged with Elsevier,
the name the journal has been published under since 1996.
Gerald remained editor of Comp. Biochem. Physiol. with the assistance of Dic Williams
(Part A), Ian Giles (Part B) and Robert Walker (Part C) until when in 1993 Peter
Hochachka and Tom Mommsen became co-editors, firstly of Part A from volume 106 to
be followed in 1994 with Parts B and C from volume 107. By this time Comp. Biochem.
Physiol. had grown in size to over 7,000 pages per year and has continued as an
international journal for comparative science under Tom Mommsen and following the
death of Peter Hochachka, with P.J.Walsh. The editorial board has expanded over the
years and now stands at over 50. One of the things Gerald had always recognised was the
importance of review articles and encouraged their publication in Comp.Biochem.
Physiol., both as full reviews and as mini-reviews. He wrote a number of review articles
himself and spent considerable time in the library selecting names to contact for minireviews. The inclusion of mini-reviews proved a success and has since been adopted by a
number of journals. Gerald also encouraged and invited guest-edited symposia. Many
scientists at the start of their careers owe a debt of gratitude to Gerald Kerkut for not only
having the foresight to start Comp. Biochem. Physiol. but for publishing their first
papers. A full list of his own publications up until 1988 can be found in the special issue
of Comp. Biochem. Physiol. published from the papers at his Festschrift held in
Southampton in July 1988 (Kerkut 1989). Gerald contributed the first paper at this
Festschrift where he advocated the value of isolated central nervous system preparations.
However he never lost sight of the need to verify the results in the living animal.
Gerald Kerkut was an undergraduate at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he achieved
a first class degree in Natural Sciences, 1945-1948. He then studied for his PhD within
the Department of Zoology, Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Eric Smith,
1948-1951. This was followed by a three year junior fellowship at Pembroke College,
Cambridge, 1951-1954. Gerald was then appointed to a lectureship in Animal Physiology
within the Department of Zoology at Southampton University in 1954. Together with
Professor Kenneth A. Munday he was a founder member of a newly created Department
of Physiology and Biochemistry at Southampton in 1959. In 1966 Gerald was appointed
to the second chair of Physiology and Biochemistry and remained at the University until
his retirement in 1992. He was then appointed Emeritus Professor and maintained an
active link with the University until his death. Gerald was a first class scientist, teacher
and supervisor who trained over 80 postgraduates and their success will provide a lasting
legacy in his memory.
References
Kerkut, G.A. (1960) The Implications of Evolution; pp 174; Pergamon Press, Oxford,
U.K.
Kerkut, G.A. (1988a) The Origins of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Comp.
Biochem. Physiol. 90A, 1 – 3.
Kerkut, G.A. (1988b) Possible evolutionary futures for mankind. Comp. Biochem.
Physiol. 90A, 5-10.
Kerkut, G.A. (1989) Studying the isolated central nervous system; a report on 35 years:
more inquisitive than acquisitive. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 93A, 9 – 24.