Basil Hetzel

The Honorable Dr Basil Hetzel AC (born 1922) is an Australian medical researcher who has made a major contribution to combating iodine deficiency, a major cause of goitre and cretinism world wide.

Academic career
Hetzel graduated in medicine from the University of Adelaide in the 1940s. He was held a Fulbright Research Scholar in the 1950s. He returned to Adelaide and was employed as Reader and then Michell Professor of Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, University of Adelaide before moving to Monash University as the Foundation Professor of Social and Preventive Medicine. He also held the position of first chief of the CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition, Chair of the University of South Australia's Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, and University of South Australia Chancellor 1992–1998,

Research
Hetzel worked in remote areas of Papua New Guinea with the Public Health Department of the then Territory, and his researtch concluded that the endemic goitre and associated cretinism was attributable to an iodine deficient diet. He also demonstrated that dietary supplementation would entirely prevent these illnesses.

In the 1980s Hetzel, supported by the Australian Agency for International Development, became an international advocate for iodine supplementation, which is now taken for granted with iodinated table salt. This was part of the stimulus for the creation of the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders association, which is funded by various government, non-government and community organisations including the United Nations, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank. It is claimed that iodine supplementation has been achieved in 70% of households worldwide by 2000.

Non-medical career
Hetzel was Lieutenant Governor of South Australia from April 1992 - May 2000.

Honours

 * National Trust as a National Living Treasure, 15 March 2004
 * the Clinical Research Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was named in his honour the ‘The Basil Hetzel Institute for Medical Research’, 2001
 * Doctor of the University, University of South Australia, 1999
 * RSL Anzac Peace Prize, 1997.
 * Companion of the Order of Australia, 1990
 * Honorary Professor at the Tianjin Medical University, 1989