Fascinating viruses

Thung did attract several young researchers who went on to make groundbreaking discoveries. These included his successor Jan van der Want, but also Jeanne Dijkstra, who carried out research on the Rotterdam-B virus, a tobacco virus, among other things. Another young researcher attracted by Thung was Ab van Kammen, who studied the molecular workings of […]

It was clear that virology research was becoming increasingly important within IPO, among other things due to the growing understanding in international science of how viruses worked and their impact on plant, animal, and human health. In 1956, it was therefore decided to establish a separate virology laboratory and convert Thung’s chair by special appointment

In 1956, Thung himself spent most of his time in Indonesia, as a visiting professor at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Universitas Indonesia in Bogor (the new name of Buitenzorg). Prior to this guest professorship, Thung and his wife Fernanda travelled through India, where they visited several higher and secondary agricultural schools at the

Jan P.H. van der Want was the first to receive his doctorate from Professor Thung in 1954, with a thesis entitled “Investigations on viral diseases of the bean.” Thung was very impressed with his research and submitted a request for the conferral of the cum laude distinction. To timeline

In 1953, a new laboratory was built for the IPO’s Virology Department to further professionalise research. During this period of virology research in Wageningen, supported by international developments, Thung and his collaborators made discovery after discovery. To timeline

In 1949, Thung was approached by the Ministry of Agriculture in The Hague, asking him whether he was interested in the position of Head of the Virology Department of the newly established Instituut voor Plantenziektenkundig Onderzoek (Institute for Phytopathological Research, IPO) in Wageningen. In addition to head of the IPO Virology Department, Thung was also

In 1948 Thung gave a number of guest lectures on Tropical Plant Diseases at the Agricultural College in Wageningen, at the request of Professor Quanjer. These lectures formed the basis for his book, Grondbeginselen in de plantenvirologie (Fundamentals in Plant Virology), which would eventually be published in 1949. For years, Thung’s book was considered the

In February 1948, Thung briefly returned to Indonesia, where he was appointed professor at the Faculty of Agriculture of the newly established University of Indonesia. He only held this position for a short period. To timeline

In October 1939, Thung was appointed head of the Mycological Division of the Institute for Plant Diseases and Pests at Buitenzorg. A position in which, according to his teacher and friend Quanjer, he could more effectively use his knowledge to benefit agriculture in the Dutch East Indies and the interests of science in general. Not

The electron microscope had been invented in 1931 by German researcher Max Knoll, and improved by Delft engineering student Jan Bart Le Poole. During the post-war years, this made the Technische Hogeschool (Technical College) in Delft the first and only place in the Netherlands to have such a microscope. For virology, the advent of the