Reginald Koettlitz
- Born
- 23 December 1860
- Died
- 1 January 1916 (age 55)
Koettlitz was born on the 23rd December 1860 in Ostend, Belgium. Soon afterwards his family moved to Kent, England before moving down to Dover due to the persecution of his family. In Dover Koettlitz was educated and became known to be highly studious. After studying at Dover College, he went on to study medicine at a Guy's Hospital.
In County Durham Koettlitz worked as a general practitioner for 8 years. It was then that he heard about the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition that was heading to explore the yet unknown parts of the North Pole, specifically the Franz Josef Land.
Koettlitz was accepted onto the expedition as a doctor and biologist, and the crew set sail in 1894 for three years. Misled by previous maps, the crew expected the Franz Josef Land to extend all the way to the North Pole, but found instead that the area was an archipelago a lot further south of their target. Part of the expedition was then used to create more accurate maps of the area.
During the expedition, Koettlitz learned how to prevent scurvy and became an experienced ski runner, dog and pony handler and expert in polar survival. Koettlitz returned from his expedition with a polar bear which can still be found in Dover Museum.
To him, scientific discovery should always be the primary objective.
Dr George Murray, Acting Chief of the Scientific Staff, Discovery Expedition to Antarctica
Koettlitz's next expedition was as a senior surgeon on board Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition to Antarctica, of which he was awarded a medal from the Royal Geographical Society. On a trip across an area called McMurdo Sound, the team discovered two glacial features. Both were later named after him; the 'Koettlitz Glacier' and 'Koettlitz Neve'. A small island in Britansky Kanal was also named after him, 'Koettlitz Island'.
After the expedition Koettlitz went on to practice medicine in South Africa. He passed away there in 1916 after suffering from dysentery.