Thomas Harvey Johnston

In 1922, Johnston received an appointment at the University of Adelaide as professor of zoology and remained in that position for the rest of his life.

[1][2][3] Johnston joined a university anthropological expedition to Nepabunna Mission in the northern Flinders Ranges in May 1937 led by J.B. Cleland, which included Charles P. Mountford as ethnologist and photographer, virologist Frank Fenner, and others.

[4] In 1912, Johnston was appointed chairman for a committee, the Prickly-Pear Travelling Commission, formed to investigate control measures for the prickly pear cactus.

The prickly pears spread from New South Wales and caused great ecological damage in the eastern states of Australia.

They successfully introduced Dactylopius ceylonicus, the cochineal insect that was effective in the control of one species of the pear Opuntia monacantha.

In Queensland, he conducted studies in diverse areas as cattle tick, blowflies, muscidae, onchoceriasis and fish epidemics.

Working with John Burton Cleland he studied worm nests in cattle due to Filaria gibsoni.

[17] Johnston made significant contributions to the study of flies and parasitic worms, including Habronema and Musca domestica or housefly.

[22][23] James Douglas Ogilby provided some of the fish identifications and Johnston quoted his account of the infection near Sydney.

Johnston and Bancroft noted in the paper that the specimens were identified by James Douglas Ogilby of the Queensland Museum and as tribute for these efforts names one of the parasites, Myxosoma ogilbyi, in his honour.

[23][26] In a work published in 1921, the team summarized their experience of episodes of mass mortality in the fishes of Queensland rivers and ventured a theory for the possible causes.

[1][2][3] In 1929, Johnston was invited by Douglas Mawson to serve as chief zoologist with the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition.