Cornelius Gerhardus Stephanus ("Doctor Con") de Villiers, zoologist and author, was the son of Andries Stephanus de Villiers and his wife Cornelia Gertruida, born Swart. He matriculated at Caledon in 1911 and continued his studies at Victoria College, Stellenbosch (from 1918 Stellenbosch University), which awarded him the BA degree with honours in zoology in 1914. While still a student he delivered a paper before the Victoria College Scientific Society on "The Simian origin of man" (1913), which was then a controversial topic. In 1915 he was employed as assistant lecturer in botany and zoology under H.A. Wager* in the Transvaal University College (later the University of Pretoria), Meanwhile he continued his studies at Victoria College under Professor E.J. Goddard* and was awarded the MA degree in zoology in 1916. In 1919 he entered the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where he obtained the PhD degree with a thesis entitled Neue Beobachtungen über den Bau und die Entwickelung des Brustschulterapparates bei den Anuren, insbesondere bei Bombinator (New observations of the structure and development of the breast-shoulder apparatus of the Order Anura, especially of Bombinator [the fire-bellied toads], 1922). Upon his return to South Africa he succeeded Professor Goddard in July 1923 as Professor of Zoology in the University of Stellenbosch, a position he held until his retirement at the end of 1959. He served as dean of the Faculty of Science from 1930 to 1934.

De Villiers was an active researcher in comparative anatomy and comparative embryology and in the course of his academic career published some 30 scientific papers, in Afrikaans, English or German. His first few papers, published during 1924-1929, continued his research on the breast-shoulder apparatus of amphibians. This work was followed by at least a dozen papers on the cranial anatomy of the Brevipicitidae (rain frogs) and other amphibians and later contributions to the cranial anatomy of birds. As a result of his research, and that of his postgraduate students, his department became the best school of comparative anatomy in the country and also widely known overseas. As a visiting professor he spent a year and a half at the University of Rome and at several German universities in 1934-1935 and undertook a lecture tour to various universities in the United States. He was an honorary member of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten (the Royal Flemish Academy) and a Fellow of the Academy of Ferrara. As a member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science he was elected president of its Section D (which included zoology) in 1926, received the association's South Africa Medal (gold) in 1937 and served as president in 1940. He was awarded the Havenga Prize of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns for his contributions to science in 1948 and its prize for translated works in 1953 and was elected an honorary member in 1969. The South African Government appointed him as one of the trustees of the South African Museum in 1934; he resigned the position two years later, but was appointed again in May 1952 for three years. The University of Stellenbosch awarded him an honorary D. Phil degree in 1967.

De Villiers was a brilliant man with a phenomenal memory and wide interests, a versatile academic with a dynamic personality and an excellent lecturer and popular speaker. His interests included literature and music (especially singing). Among others he translated a German drama, Rosmersholm, into Afrikaans (1925) and the same year translated the prose of Knut Hamsun from Norse into Afrikaans. He was also fluent in Italian. He produced several collections of sketches about the people of the Overberg region where he grew up and many other short stories, essays and narratives in Afrikaans. During the nineteen twenties and thirties he translated several plays and staged them at Stellenbosch. He gave many public lectures on music, translated some musical works into Afrikaans and adapted folk songs for choral singing. Among others he wrote a book entitled Musiek en Mense (Music and people,1958). After his retirement he conducted genealogical research on the de Villiers family and the Swart family to which his mother belonged. He was not married.

List of sources:

Barnard, K.H. The South African Museum, Cape Town, 1855-1955. Cape Town: South African Public Library, 1956.

Blignault, A. Erelidmaatskap: Prof. C.G.S. de Villiers. Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, Jaarboek, 1969, pp. 43-44.

De Bruyn, G.F.C. Professore: Universiteit van Stellenbosch en voorgangers. Kaapstad: Nationale Handelsdrukkery, 1989.

Dictionary of South African biography, Vol. 5, 1987.

Du Toit, A.C. Zoological research in South Africa. News Bulletin of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa, 1961, Vol. 2(2), pp. 2-13.

South African bibliography to the year 1925. London: Mansell, 1979.

South African Journal of Science, 1937, Vol. 34, pp. xiv-xix. Presidents and secretaries of the sections.

Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa (SESA). Cape Town: Nasou, 1970-1976.

Stegmann, G.F. Professor Con de Villiers at 80. South African Journal of Science, 1975, Vol. 71, p. 101.

Thom, H.B. et al. Stellenbosch 1866-1966: Honderd jaar hoër onderwys. Kaapstad: Nasionale Boekhandel, 1966.

Twenty-seventh award of the South Africa medal and grant. South African Journal of Science, 1937, Vol. 34, p. xxxviii-xxxix.

University of the Cape of Good Hope. Calendar, 1916/7, 1917/8, Colleges.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2021-09-02 10:13:41