Sir James Armour obituary

My father, James Armour, known as Jimmy, who has died aged 92, was a veterinary scientist and teacher who specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic diseases in animals. He was involved in the development of the “wonder drug” Ivermectin, used to treat worms, lice and ticks in animals and to eradicate African River Blindness in people.

Jimmy was born in Basra, Iraq, to James Armour, who worked in shipping, and his wife, Margaret (nee Roy). The family came home to Scotland in 1935, settling in Troon. James attended Marr college and studied at Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1953. In the same year he went to Nigeria with the Colonial Vet Service, returning to the UK in 1960, joining Cooper Technical Bureau (later the Wellcome Trust).

In 1963 he returned to Glasgow vet school as a researcher, becoming a lecturer in 1967, reader in 1972 and professor of parasitology in 1976. He established multidisciplinary teams to develop new methods of diagnosis and treatment of parasitic diseases and gained international recognition for his work.

One of the highlights of his research collaborations was the development of the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin, with colleagues at Merck, Sharp and Dohme. Jimmy was a leading consultant to MSD’s veterinary division for the development of new drugs. Ivermectin was discovered in 1975 and marketed for veterinary use in 1981, to treat parasitic diseases such as gut worms, lice and ticks in animals. Later it was shown to be effective in humans for the eradication of African River Blindness. It was the first veterinary drug to achieve £1bn in annual sales.

Jimmy was also a gifted teacher and published extensively. He co-authored a textbook on veterinary parasitology, first published by Blackwell in 1987, and lectured and examined at universities across the world.

In 1986 he was elected dean of Glasgow vet school. In 1988 the Riley Review of veterinary education recommended the closure of the school and Jimmy led a highly organised campaign to challenge and rebut Riley’s assumptions. The recommendations of the Riley Report were overturned and this victory was followed by a period of considerable expansion at the school.

In 1991, he was appointed vice-principal of Glasgow University. He also held many external appointments including chairing the UK Veterinary Products Committee (1987-1996) and the board of the Moredun Animal Research Institute (2000-2004). He was knighted in 1995 for his contribution to veterinary science and veterinary education and retired the same year.

Jimmy was also an outstanding golfer. In 1947 he won the British boys’ championship at Hoylake. He was later club champion at four different clubs. He represented Ayrshire 1947-52 and Hertfordshire 1960-63, captaining the Hertfordshire team that won the English Counties Championship in 1962/63.

More recently he became captain, then president, of Royal Troon Golf Club, where he played regularly until 2019.

Jimmy served as vice-president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1997 to 2000. He had high principles and a humble and egalitarian outlook. He was passionate about education as the route to improving society.

He is survived by three of his children, Linda, Fiona and me, from his marriage to Irene (nee Morris), who died in 1988, and by his second wife, Christine (nee Strickland), whom he married in 1992. Another son, Donald, died in 2016.