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Inside Out: Yorkshire aristocrat who died in 1919 could help fight flu pandemic
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A court has granted scientists permission to exhume the body of a Yorkshire
aristocrat who died nearly 90 years ago from one of the world's deadliest
viruses.
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Sir Mark Sykes, landowner, politician and diplomat, died in France in 1919 of
the Spanish Flu, which killed 50 million people worldwide.
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Professor John Oxford, one of the world's top virologists, believes Sir Mark
was buried in a lead coffin which could have preserved the virus.
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Historical researchers from the 91Èȱ¬'s Inside Out programme - 91Èȱ¬ One Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire, Friday, 7.30pm - tracked down contemporary records of his funeral
at Sledmere Church and other archive documents to aid the medical team from St
Barts and the Royal London Hospitals.
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Experts believe Sir Mark's remains will help them piece together the DNA of the
final stages of the pandemic flu, adding to major breakthroughs by American
scientists last year.
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This knowledge could help prevent a modern pandemic.
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Sir Mark was working for the Government in the Middle East in the weeks before
his death.
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He sailed home from Syria via London, where it's thought he
contracted the virus, and died in a Parisian hotel a few days later.
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He had been tipped as a future Prime Minister and helped draw the national
boundaries of the Middle East that still exist today.
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Sir Mark's grandchildren had to give their permission for an exhumation to take
place.
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Christopher Simon Sykes, an author, said: "We all agreed it is a very
good thing and it should go ahead. It's rather fascinating that maybe even as
a corpse he may be helping others as it were."
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The Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive
will have to vet plans for the exhumation, which has been authorised by a
church court covering the Diocese of York.
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Professor Oxford told Inside Out: "If we can get samples that will be wonderful
for my team and science in general. It could help us answer some very
important questions.
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"We're on the verge of the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century and... we
think Sir Mark can help us."
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Inside Out Editor Ian Cundall said: "We were glad to put our researchers'
skills to such a useful purpose.
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"We often investigate incidents that occurred
a long time ago but they rarely represent such an immediate potential benefit."
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AB2
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