Abstract:
In 1926, Professor Paul A. van der Bijl made an address to the South African Association for the Advancement of
Science in his capacity as President of Section C of the Association, entitled ‘Landmarks in the development of the
science of plant pathology and of disease control’.1 The talk itself marks a key moment in the development of plant
pathology as a discipline in South Africa, as Van der Bijl had been appointed 5 years earlier as the first Professor of
Plant Pathology and Mycology in South Africa, at Stellenbosch University. The field was just being established, not
only in South Africa, but in many parts of the world, and its distinction from other disciplines was a matter of pride.
