Herbert Basedow PhD (1881 - 1933)

Born 27 Oct 1881 in Kent Town, South Australia (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Olive Nell (Noyes) Basedow — married 1919 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Died 4 Jun 1933 at age 51 in Kent Town, South Australia, Australia

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Biography

Herbert Basedow PhD is Notable.

Herbert Basedow PhD was born in South Australia, Australia

Doctor Herbert Basedow PhD was a noted Australian anthropologist, geologist, politician, explorer and medical practitioner who was one of the few people of his time involved in recording the traditional life of Aboriginal Australians and who actively lobbied government for better treatment of Aboriginal people and campaigned for an improvement in Aboriginal health.

Formative years

Herbert Basedow was born on 27th October 1881 in Kent Town, South Australia (Australia). He was the fourth and youngest son of Martin Peter Friedrich Basedow and his second wife Anna Clara Helena, née Muecke (or Mȕcke). ^[1] Martin and Anna were both born in Germany and met after immigrating to South Australia. Herbert's early education was in Adelaide. The Basedow family visited Germany between 1891 and 1894, and for part of that time Herbert attended high school in Hanover. He completed his formal education at Prince Alfred College, Kent Town, and in 1902 graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the School of Mines, Adelaide, and the University of Adelaide. He majored in geology, but also studied botany and zoology.

He was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Society of South Australia in 1901 and a Fellow in 1904. He was also a member, Honorary Member and Fellow of other geographical and geological societies in Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Herbert held some short-term government appointments including as one of four prospectors on the 1903 South Australian Government North-West Prospecting Expedition. In 1905, he joined South Australian Government Geologist Henry Yorke Lyell Brown and mining inspector Lionel Gee on a geological expedition to the Northern Territory. On his return to Adelaide, he was appointed curator of the geological and mineral collections of the South Australian School of Mines. He was a keen photographer, and throughout his career used photography to record his scientific work and his travels in remote parts of Australia.

In 1907, Herbert accepted an invitation from German anthropologist Hermann Klaatsch to study in Germany. He subsequently completed postgraduate studies at several universities, including Heidelberg, Göttingen, Breslau and Zürich, and undertook some medical work. He returned to Australia with a PhD in geology and two postgraduate qualifications in medicine. The medical degree he was awarded, based on his work on the craniometric measurements of Aboriginal Australians and combined with his practical medical work in Europe, later allowed his registration as a medical practitioner in Australia.

Anthropolgy

Between 1903 and 1928, Herbert participated in around twelve major expeditions and some smaller trips. These were mainly to central and northern Australia. The majority of the expeditions were to investigate mineral prospects. Some were government funded whilst some were commissioned by mining syndicates and private companies. Three were medical relief expeditions to assess the health of Aboriginal people in South Australia - one in 1919 and two in 1920 - which Herbert led.

On his return from Europe in 1910, Herbert entered the geological department of South Australia as Assistant Government Geologist. He resigned from this position in 1911 to take up the newly created Australian Federal Government position of Chief Medical Officer and Chief Protector of Aborigines in the Northern Territory. He arrived in Darwin on 17th July 1911 and left 45 days later unhappy with his working conditions and claiming the legislation under which he was to operate was unworkable. He returned to Adelaide and set up in medical practice; combining this with consulting geological investigations for individuals and organisations.

At the time of his birth, Herbert's father held the office of Protector of Aborigines. In his early years, Herbert accompanied his father on trips into the outback where he played with Aboriginal children and acquired some native language skills. Throughout his life, Herbert maintained an interest in recording traditional Aboriginal life as well as a concern for the health and welfare of Aboriginal people. Hermann Klaatsch influenced Herbert's early ideas about Australian Aboriginal people. Both men theorised that Aboriginal people and Caucasians were racially related.

Herbert actively lobbied government for better treatment of Aboriginal people, especially through the Aborigines Protection League, and campaigned for an improvement in Aboriginal health.