Victor Bonney (1872- 1953) was a gifted and innovative surgeon. One of Bonney’s most notable achievements was his development of a successful procedure for myomectomy. After his wife developed fibroids and had her uterus removed early in their marriage, Bonney took a great interest in the practice of conservatism in surgery. Prior to Bonney, myomectomy “had fallen into disuse because of excessive blood loss during the operating and the infections that commonly followed” (Chamberlain, 'The master of myomectomy') , but Bonney saw an opportunity to revolutionise this practice. In his words: “I set myself to make myomectomy so feasible, successful and safe as to render it a fair alternative to hysterectomy in every case… Excepting only in a very few instances… I have succeeded, and now enter the operating theatre free of the trammels which at one time too often compelled my hand against my heart.” (Bonney, 'The fruits of conversatism') Bonney’s crucial innovation was the development of a new surgical clamp, an instrument which is now referred to as Bonney’s myomectomy clamp. The clamp was ingeniously designed to cut off blood supply to the uterus by compressing the uterine arteries, immediately reducing the excessive blood loss which had previously been associated with the procedure. Although technological advances mean that these are now seldom used, Bonney’s success with this procedure was such that his clamps were regularly used for myomectomy procedures for decades after his death. This instrument was included with other obstetric instruments, mostly destructive instruments, given to RANZCOG from Box Hill Hospital labour ward in February- March 1998. The maternity service at Box Hill Hospital combined with St George's Hospital in Kew to be known as Birralee Maternity Service. These instruments were collected by Julie Collette, Unit Manager, St George's Kew and given to RANZCOG Museum Curator, Susan Barnett. Stainless steel clamp. Scissor type instrument with two sets of finger grips and a locking ratchet mechanism. The blades close to form two apertures which can be selectively decreased in size."DOWN BROS LONDON STAINLESS" upper surface of RH handle; "B.H.H.L. WARD" inner surface of LH handle.surgery, obstetrics

Dr. Curt Schimmelbusch (1860-1895), a German physician, designed his original mask around 1889 while an assistant surgeon. Surgical assistants were often assigned the task of delivering the anesthetic. During anesthesia it was not uncommon for ether and chloroform to get onto the patient’s skin, causing irritation. Chloroform can even cause burn-like reactions. Schimmelbusch designed the rim of his mask so that both sides curve away from the patient’s face to form a kind of trough. He intended the trough-like rim to collect excess anesthetic that would otherwise have trickled onto the patient’s face. To anesthetize a patient, gauze was stretched over the metal bars and fastened in place by the hinge. The mask was placed over the patient’s nose and mouth, and the anesthetic was applied in drops or lightly poured onto the gauze so that the patient breathed in evaporated anesthetic as well as air. This type of mask is sometimes still used today for ether anesthesia in developing countries when other means are not available. (Wood Library Museum of Anesthesiology) This particular object is a modified version of Schimmelbusch's design, known as Chadborn's modification.Oval shaped chromium plated mask with two metal strips linked front to back and side to side to create a dome. An oval shaped mobile wire frame is attached to the lower part of the mask by a hinge at the back, approximately two inches from the lip of the metal handle. A "U" shaped bit of metal is attached to the front of the mask which acts as a clip to fasten the wire frame to the lower section of the mask.anaesthesia

This type of steriliser was in use from approximately 1907 onward. Designed for surgeons who frequently moved from hospital to hospital. The body and lid of the steriliser were made from one continuous piece of metal to produce a germ-free surface. Dr Mitchell Henry O'Sullivan worked in the Victorian country town of Casterton as a general practitioner from 1919 until his death in 1977. He also practiced obstetrics. His son, Dr David More O'Sullivan donated his obstetric bag and its contents to the College in 1999. The bag and contents are a unique time capsule of the type of instruments and pharmaceuticals used in the inter-war period.Metal instrument steriliser. Consists of a rectangular metal container with lid, an internal metal tray, and two spirit burners. The lid has a small wire handle at either end. The internal tray also had two handles and in perforated with holes to allow for drainage. The upper edge of each burner has a series of eighteen holes in the rim. disinfection

The use of chloroform as an anaesthetic for humans was first demonstrated by Edinburgh surgeon James Young Simpson in 1847. It was used as an anaesthetic in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Dr Mitchell Henry O'Sullivan worked in the Victorian country town of Casterton as a general practitioner from 1919 until his death in 1977. He also practiced obstetrics. His son, Dr David More O'Sullivan donated his obstetric bag and its contents to the College in 1999. The bag and contents are a unique time capsule of the type of instruments and pharmaceuticals used in the inter-war period.Amber glass bottle (empty) with clear glass stopper. Bottle carries its original label which "W.J. Bush & Co. Ltd. London ... Chloroform.."". On the base is the number "12" and "AS 9A"anaesthesia

The use of chloroform as an anaesthetic for humans was first demonstrated by Edinburgh surgeon James Young Simpson in 1847. It was used as an anaesthetic in the 19th and early 20th centuries.Dr Mitchell Henry O'Sullivan worked in the Victorian country town of Casterton as a general practitioner from 1919 until his death in 1977. He also practiced obstetrics. His son, Dr David More O'Sullivan donated his obstetric bag and its contents to the College in 1999. The bag and contents are a unique time capsule of the type of instruments and pharmaceuticals used in the inter-war period.Amber glass bottle [197.1] with long neck and matching stopper [197.2]. The text "Lamprecht's" and "36587" stamped into the glass. Bottle is round with a fluted, vase like top and a small spout. Stopper is topped by a circular knob and tapers towards a point."Lamprecht's" "36587"anaesthesia

This operating table belonged to the famous gynaecological surgeon Dr Victor Bonney and was given to Dr Frank Forster in 1953 by his widow Mrs Annie Bonnie, a distant relative of Forster's. Dr Victor Bonney (1872 - 1953) followed his father into medicine and trained at St Bartholomew's and the Middlesex Hospitals. Writing his obituary in 1953, FW Roques said of Bonney that he "'made three great gifts to surgery. First, he was the pioneer of myomectomy; second, with Berkeley, he extended and perfected Wertheim's operation for carcinoma of the cervix; and third, he devised a fine surgical technique emulated by so many of his pupils. To theatre sisters, labour-ward sisters and young house-surgeons he will always be remembered as the discoverer of 'Bonney's Blue' [antiseptic solution].'" Bonney's utilitarian, portable operating table has a round, worn scrubbed patch showing traces of his famous blue solution.This portable operating table was owned and used by pioneering gynaecological surgeon Sir Victor Bonney in London, U.K. c 1900. Dr Bonney employed two theatre sisters and had two sets of instruments and portable operating tables. This made it possible for Dr Bonney to 'complete three or more operations a day by rotating staff and equipment with a chauffeur driven Lanchester or Rolls Royce', delivering them from one house to the next. The donor of the operating table, the late Dr Frank Forster, was a distant relative of Sir Victor Bonney's widow, Annie Appleyard, formerly of Tasmania. When he visited her in the UK after Bonney's death, she offered the operating table to Dr Forster for the RANZCOG Museum. It was still in a canvas bag in the boot of one of Bonney's cars. Sir Victor Bonney was the pioneer of myomectomy, the surgical procedure for removing uterine fibroids. In collaboration with Berkeley, he extended and perfected Wertheim's operation for carcinoma of the cervix. Bonney was an influential teacher, developing and promoting conservatism of surgical technique (minimal intervention) that has had a lasting influence in modern surgical practice. To theatre-sisters, labour-ward sisters and young house-surgeons he will always be remembered as the discoverer of Bonney's Blue an antiseptic that was characteristically blue.Portable, laminated operating table. Plywood rectangular table with two laminated plywood extensions, a head board, and a foot board. At the foot board are insets of canvas straps to support a patient's ankles. Two detachable stirrup poles, each with a canvas strap attached, fit into two holes at the lower end of the table. The table is supported by two timber trellis cross braces with metal bars, and supported at the centre by a metal rod that allows the table to pivot up and down. Two metal arcs with a locking mechanism fix the table at the desired elevation, allowing a Trendelenburg tilt ( a 45 degree tilt, with the patient's head downwards.) The operating table is demountable for transportation and re-assembly.obstetric delivery

Used to remove polyps or other growths, using a tightening chain to gradually lacerate the growth, minimizing haemorrhage. Devised by Charles Marie Edouard Chassaignac (1805-1879) who was a surgeon in Paris. The manufacturer of this item was possibly Geo. Tiemann & Co Surgical Instruments USA. Metal ecraseur, Chassaignac's design. The straight shaft can be extended, and has a straight handle at one end and a metal loop at the other. destructive instruments

Likely to be a German designed operating chair. Very similar to operating chair shown in [Aesculap] Aktiengesellschaft fur Feinmechanik vormals Jetter & Sheerer, "Illustriertes Musterbuch", 1904, Tuttlingen, South Germany, p. 720, no. 34, 412 Fig 1 & 2. Early twentieth century examination chair constructed of metal and leather. The structure is metal and painted with cream enamel. The seat and seat extension are covered in brown leather. It has two folding sections with metal leg rests, and a base on castors. There are three holes in each arm rest, possibly indicating missing attachments. The chair is adjustable to horizontal.examination, furniture, royal australian college of surgeons

Sir William Gilliatt was born in 1884 in Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School and Wellingborough College, and began his medical career at the Middlesex Hospital in 1925. He became obstetric and gynaecological surgeon at King's College Hospital, a position he held until his retirement in 1946. Gilliatt was a foundation fellow of RCOG, U.K. and served on the Council from 1932 until his death in 1956. He was also the President of the RCOG from 1946 until 1949. Gilliatt was known to be an excellent clinical teacher and was gynaecologist to the Royal family for two decades. He wrote very little for the medical journals, but his influence on obstetric and gynaecological practice was considerable and his attention to detail was painstaking. He was killed in a motor accident on 27 November 1956.Framed black and white photograph. Photograph is a side-on portrait image of Sir WIlliam Gilliat, who is turning his head to face the camera slightly and is smiling. Photograph is signed 'William Gilliat/April 1951'. An inscription, likely to be the name of the photographer, appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph. The frame is a simple gold coloured metal frame, with a rose decoration in each corner.William Gilliat/April 1951rcog

This instrument is part of the tonsillectomy set. Mouth gags are used to keep the patient’s mouth open during oral surgery, leaving both hands of the surgeon free to operate. The Boyle Davis mouth gag consists of the Davis gag, a frame that serves to hold the mouth open and the Boyle tongue depressor to hold the tongue down. The tongue depressor comes in several sizes, from pediatric to adult. The instrument is assembled by sliding the tongue blade into the frame. The mouth gag is held in position using the Draffin bipod stand. (Entworld)White metal mouth gag [254.1] and tongue depressor [254.2] set. There are small leather fittings on the ends of each item. The mouth gag is roughly horseshoe shaped and attached to a metal support with a small lever, which also allows the tongue depressor to be attached and withdrawn. The tongue depressor is a straight metal blade which is bent and curved at either end.

Pointing bones were ritualistically used by sorcerers for magic. The 'magic' and 'sorcery' from 'pointing the bone' can involve the ritual removal of organs from the body, done when a person is asleep, and then put back into the person unknowingly. In this way a person can be 'sung' but will be unaware of it. This pointing bone was originally given to Sir Wilfred Fish, FRCS, who was a Kings Surgeon and had been giving lectures in Sydney in the 1920s on his specialty, maxillofacial surgery. His daughter, Mrs Vivian Greaves, gave this item to Sir Keith Drayton some years later. Pointing bone, from Central Australia. The object is a carved macropod fibula. At one end there is a blob of resin and an attachment of human hair in a string. At the other end, the bone has been sharpened to a point.

The Julian Smith direct blood transfusion pump was invented by Dr Smith in Melbourne in the late 1930s. Smith founded St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne and was known as an inventor and photographer as well as a pioneering surgeon. His blood transfusion innovations were adopted worldwide during the 1940s. This belonged to Dr Bill Rawling's and was in a medical bag that he was used in the 1940s and 1950s. It was donated by Dr Geoff Bishop.Julian Smith's blood transfusion pump, for direct (person to person) blood transfusion. Included is a rotary pump, clamps, a metal cup with clamp and a metal box and lid for autoclave sterilisation. Incomplete, polyvinyl tubing missing.blood transfusion, smith, julian

Part of a collection of unknown provenance donated by Frank ForsterSurgeon's operating apron [oiled silk]

The Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS) holds one of Lister's carbolic sprays in its collection.Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, Bt., OM, FRS, PC (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912), known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. By applying Louis Pasteur's advances in microbiology, he promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Lister successfully introduced carbolic acid (now known as phenol) to sterilise surgical instruments and to clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for patients.Two postage stamps issued in the United Kingdom, 1961. The first stamp is a one shilling stamp, depicting an upper body portrait of Joseph Lister against a blue background on the left, with a profile image of Queen Elizabeth II on the right. Text printed on the stamp reads 'Antiseptic/Surgery/Lister/Centenary'. The second stamp is a four pence stamp, depicting Lister's carbolic spray against a grey background on the left, with a profile image of Queen Elizabeth II on the right. Text printed on stamp reads 'Lister Centenary/Antiseptic Surgery'.surgery

Schimmelbusch model of anesthetic masks, used during the 20th century in Australia. Good example of the surgical instruments used by anesthetists. Anaesthetic mask made of stainless steel. Used in conjunction with a chloroform cloth. All screws intact. Spring handle is placed at the rounded end of the mask. surgery, anesthetic, chloroform

This brace was used in Adelaide by Dr R. Humphrey Marten (1860-1933). he was an English general practitioner who graduated from University College Hospital in 1883. He came to Australia as custodian of a mentally deranged patient. Martins fee allowed him to return to England and obtain a degree from Cambridge. in 1888 he returned to Adelaide and became a very successful physician and surgeon, said to be the first surgeon in South Australian to remove a brain tumor in 1901. The brace was later used by Sir Leonard Lindon (1896- 1978) one of the eight founders of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, who had married Marten's daughter.Having been used by two important figures in surgery during the 20th century this item is an excellent representation of the brace described by Eugene Doyen (1859-1916) of Paris in 1896. It is used in conjunction with a perforator, spherical burrs and a n electric saw.Small Brace measuring 25.5 cm, from the handle to the socket. It is nickel plated.doyen, brace, lindon, marten, surgery, neurosurgery.

This attachment was used in Adelaide by Dr R. Humphrey Marten (1860-1933). He was an English general practitioner who graduated from University College Hospital in 1883. He came to Australia as custodian of a mentally deranged patient. Martins fee allowed him to later return to England and obtain a degree from Cambridge. In 1888 he returned to Adelaide and became a very successful physician and surgeon, said to be the first surgeon in South Australian to have removed a brain tumor in 1901. The brace was later used by Sir Leonard Lindon (1896- 1978) one of the eight founders of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, who had married Marten's daughter.Having been used by two important figures in surgery during the 20th century this item is an excellent representation of the brace described by Eugene Doyen (1859-1916) of Paris in 1896. It is used in conjunction with a perforator, spherical burrs and an electric saw.small tapered attachment for Doyen Bracedoyen, brace, lindon, marten, surgery, centering bit, neurosurgery.

The Sidcup Collection came to RACS from the University of Melbourne, Pathology Department and is regarded as one of the most valuable held by the College. It includes the patient records created by the Australian Surgical Unit at the hospital and covers the period 1916 - 1919. There are 50 watercolour illustrations of patients sketched by Sgt. Daryl Lindsay, X-ray prints, photographs, diagrams and some case histories. Private Pritchard was treated by the Australian Surgical Unit during WW1.These casts are unique in Victoria An original plaster cast taken of a patient Private Pritchard, who required reconstructive surgery c1917-1921. The cast would have been used as an aid to surgery and used for future reference.On base,incised into plaster "PRITCHARD" .sidcup collection, university of melbourne, sir daryl lindsay, 1916-1919, plaster cast, plastic surgery, sir benjamin rank

The mallet was given to the College by the staff of St Mark’s Hospital, London to celebrate the inauguration of the Proctological (later Colonic and Rectal) Section, on 28 May 1963. It was presented by J.C. Stewart to Alan Lendon, then Vice-President and Chairman of the Court of Examiners. Although it is usually described as a gavel, the form of the piece is in fact that of an ancient stonemason’s mallet. The action required to use it is a straight up-and-down motion, unlike that of a normal gavel, which is handled like a hammer. Made of black bean, 22.5cm high and 12cm in diameter, the mallet rests in a wooden stand made of Queensland walnut, with a square base of English oak. The mallet and stand are housed in a travelling case covered in red leather and lined in red velvet and white satin. On the front of the stand are four crests, those of St Mark’s Hospital, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. St Mark’s was founded in 1835 as a specialist hospital for the treatment of fistula in ano, a common condition in the days of travelling on horseback, and other anorectal disorders. Over the years the hospital developed into a centre for gastroenterology, colonic and rectal surgery, and many Australians went to further their training there. Some noted Fellows of the College, including Robert Officer, James Guest, Reg Magee, Brian Collopy and Adrian Polglase, and three Presidents, Mervyn Smith, Sir Edward Hughes and Russell Stitz, are alumni of St Mark’s. This mallet is a reminder of the establishment of a significant surgical section within the College, and is a fitting gift from an institution with which so many eminent Australian surgeons formed close ties.GAVEL ON STAND WITH PAINTED COATS-OF-ARMS IN RED LEATHER PRESENTATION BOXPLAQUE ON GAVEL: "PRESENTED BY THE STAFF OF ST. MARK'S HOSPITAL TO COMMEMORATE THE FOUNDING OF THE PATHOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE RACS 28TH MAY 1963"

This small bronze statute depicts Neville Howse rescuing a soldier from the battlefield during the Boer War. In 1900 while accompanying a group of infantry at Vredefort, Howse noticed a British trumpeter fall. As the soldier lay injured under heavy fire, the surgeon galloped to his rescue. His horse was horse shot dead from under him but undeterred, he continued on foot until he reached the man. The soldier had been shot through the bladder so Howse dressed his wounds and carried him to safety. For this brave action, Howse was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first medical person to achieve this honour. The son of a doctor who served in the Crimean war, Neville Howse (1863-1930) was born in Somerset, England. He migrated to Australia and set up medical practice in Newcastle and later, in Taree, NSW. Upon deciding to become a surgeon, he returned to the UK to undertake Fellowship of the Royal College before travelling back to NSW in 1899. In the same year Great Britain went to war with the two Boer Republics of South Africa and Howse volunteered for service. ARTIST Donated to the College in 2000 by Queensland Fellow, Neville Davis, the commissioned work is by Brisbane physiotherapist, Peter DornanBronze statue 45cm in height, on a granite base. The statue depicts Neville Howse bent over carrying a wounded soldier

Long term loan from Neurological Society of Australasia Museum of Neurosurgical Instruments , South Australia Catalogue with Historical Commentaries Second Edition January 2006 Copy located at RACS MuseumSTUART MORSON'S MECHANICAL INJECTOR FOR ANGIOGRAPHY. Stuart Morson(1913 - 1980) of Sydney had this injector constructed in or before 1952. It is said that it was not used much. The injector embodies two 10 ml and two 20 ml Record syringes coupled to a single delivery system. Each is operated by a piston. The pistons are driven from cylinders drilled in a metal block within the casing of the injector; the motive power must have been hydraulic or pneumatic pressure delivered through a manifold with taps allowing each syringe to be worked in isolation. The casing also contains two linked micro switches operated from a distance; it is unclear what was the role of these switches, and it is possible that a component of the unit is lost. JB Curtisl stated that a mechanical injector was devised in 1949 for serial angiography by his collaborator Schuster, but was not felt to be safe enough for use. For many years, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists preferred to inject by hand.

Long term loan from Neurological Society of Australasia Museum of Neurosurgical Instruments,South Australia. Catalogue with Historical Commentaries Second Edition January 2006 Copy located at RACS MuseumTrumble's Skull Plough or craniotome devised by Hugh Trumble (1864-1962 ) CRANIOTOME. This craniotome was designed by Hugh Trumble (1894-1962) of the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, one of the eight founders of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. It was a modification of an earlier instrument, similar in principle but less versatile, designed by Sir Henry Souttar(l875 - 1964), a very inventive surgeon who worked in the London Hospital. Souttar also used a motor-powered circular saw when necessary. He cut very large circular bone flaps, exposing the occipital lobes and posterior fossa in a few minutes. Trumble reported the use of this craniotome as "an expeditious method of cutting bone flaps" and in the designer's hands this claim was certainly justified. To use the crauiotome, it was necessary to hold the skull rigidly, and this was done by embedding the head in a plaster mould. Three holes were drilled in the skull to fix the pin of the craniotome, and the flap was then cut in a series of three arcs, after which the flap was elevated with levers until its base fractured. The 'Trumbolian" instrumentation was used in the Alfred Hospital by a number of Trumble's pupils. The craniotome is made of steel, not plated and apparently not stainless. It is believed that Trumble made his craniotomes himself, in a backyard workshop.

From Neurological Society of Australia. Wooden case with key. Contents (12 parts) include trephines, various sizes; perforator; key; ebony trephine handle; Hey skull saw; elevator; steel forceps; brush; lenticular; five pointed rugine. 18th or early 19th century.TREPHINE & SKULL SAW IN CASE OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS: EIGHTEENTH OR EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY. This set of surgical instruments contains, in a wooden case covered with shagreen: two trephines and a perforator , with a key to remove the trephine centring pins a detachable ebony handle a Hey skull saw with the name BLACKWELL an elevator a pair of steel forceps a bone or ivory brush to clean the trephines a lenticular a 5-pointed rugine. The trephines are conical, with slight tapering to prevent over- penetration; they are approximately 17 and 20 mm in diameter. Each has a sharp centring point, which 5 can be removed. Hand trephines are operated with one hand, being rotated like a gimlet, by alternating pronation and supination of the forearm, which also exe1ts downward pressure. The skull saw was used where trephining was difficult, as in some depressed fractures; it was popularised by William Hey (1736-1819) of Leeds, though described by earlier writers. Hey, a Yorkshireman, studied in St George's Hospital, London, but worked with great distinction in the Leeds General Infirmary. The lenticular, a curious instrument seen in many eighteenth century illustrations, was used to smooth the margins of bone defects. The rugine could be used to scrape granulations. The design of the trephines and of most of the other instruments strongly suggests an English origin, probably in the eighteenth century. A very similar trephine is figured by the London surgeon Percivall Pott2 in 1779. Bennion l [ists three instrument makers named Blackwell, none earlier than 1817. Most of the instruments have been plated, presumably with nickel, at a date that must be much later. The nickel plating shows little sign of wear.

Benjamin Rank was considered by many to be the father of plastic surgery in Australia. He was born on 14 January 1911 in Heidelberg, Victoria, where his father, Wreghitt Rank, owned a grain store and mill. His mother was Bessie née Smith. He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, and Ormond College, University of Melbourne, graduating with many honours and prizes. He did a two-year residency in the Royal Melbourne Hospital before going to London to specialise in surgery. There he did junior posts at St James' Hospital, Balham, but soon became fascinated by the new specialty of plastic surgery and was appointed assistant plastic surgeon at Hill End (Bart's EMS unit). Joining the Royal Australasian Army Medical Corps in 1940, he commanded their plastic surgical unit in Egypt. In 1942, he returned to Australia to set up a plastic and maxillofacial unit at Heidelberg Military Hospital. Among the patients treated there was one Flight Lieutenant John Gorton, who went on to become Prime Minister of Australia. In 1946 he was the first honorary plastic surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He spent much time overseas and was instrumental in setting up the specialty of plastic surgery in India, for which he set up 'Interplast' - a charity supported by the Rotary Clubs to offer training and expertise to Asian and Pacific nations. He was the Sims Commonwealth Travelling Professor of the College in 1958, Moynihan lecturer in 1972, President of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons in 1965 and President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons from 1966 to 1968. He made important contributions to the study of Marjolin's ulcer, radiation carcinoma, and the transition from benign to malignant melanoma. He also made a major contribution to hand surgery, and his textbook Surgery of repair as applied to hand injuries (Livingstone, 1953) ran to four editions. He wrote extensively, including an autobiography, and was a talented painter. He was a tireless campaigner for no-fault motor accident insurance and was President of the St John Ambulance Association. He married Barbara Lyle Facy in 1938. They had one son Andrew, and three daughters, Helen, Julie and Mary (one of whom became a nurse). He died on 26 January 2002. Reference; https:livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk surgeon, sir benjamin rank, heidelberg military hospital, plastic surgery, royal melbourne hospital

Inscribed ms: 'On board his yacht Ada prior to sailing it from England to Australia in 1927. Aged 73'

This is a copy of the Stawell oration - Serendipity - given by the Victorian physician Clive Hamilton Fitts (1900-1984). It was read to the Victorian Branch of the British medical Association, 1 Oct 1958 at the Royal Australian College of Surgeons Melbourne.Written on front page: "With good wishes" and signature (indecipherable).medicine, science, walsh st library

Reginald George Worcester (1903-1972) was a highly regarded obstetrics and gynaecology specialist. Between 1930 and 1933, Worcester was the Medical Superintendent at the Royal Women's Hospital. He obtained his MRCOG in England in 1935, and on his return to Australia was appointed as a university tutor in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 1939, he was appointed as the honorary gynaecologist to outpatients at the Royal Women's Hospital. Worcester served with the AIF during World War II as C.O. of the 17th Field Ambulance in Darwin and as A.D.M.S., Northern Territory Force, and the 2nd/9th Australian Army Corps from 1942 to 1943. His major war service, however, was undertaken in Borneo and Moratai, commanding the 2nd/1st Australian C.C.S. and the 2nd/9th Australian General Hospital. Worcester acquitted himself admirably during the war, with company commander Hubert Smith praising his contribution in no uncertain terms: " His [Worcester's] success as C.O. of a Field Ambulance resulted from a complete understanding of what the unit should be able to do in the transportation of casualties in the field, as well as of the usual medial functions. He organized both with efficiency and at all times difficult decisions were made with humility and good humour. The personal qualities which made him such a calm and considerate consultant never left him, even in the most dangerous and trying circumstances of war." Worcester's time in the army greatly affected his health, but despite this he was able to build a strong and reputable practice upon his return to Australia. As outlined by Arthur Hill, Worcester " was appointed in turn to the following important posts: Honorary Outpatient Obstetrician and Inpatient Gynaecologist to the Women’s Hospital (1946-1948); Honorary Gynaecologist to Prince Henry’s Hospital (1946-1963); Guest Examiner in London for the R.C.O.G. (1953); Examiner in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (1957-1964); Visiting Gynaecologist to the Repatriation General Hospital, Heidelberg 1963- 1967); and first Victorian Members’ representative (1947-1950) and later Fellows’ Representative (1953-1960) on the Australian (Regional) Council of the R.C.O.G. To these posts he brought the benefits of clear thinking and critical awareness. In 1949 he was elected F.R.C.O.G." In early 1967, Worcester suffered a hemiplegia which left him with an impaired gait and paralysed his right hand. Although unable to do major surgery, he returned to part-time practice by September 1967. His ill-health persisted though, and he was retired from practice in 1970. (Source: (1973), REGINALD GEORGE WORCESTER. Medical Journal of Australia, 1: 770-771.)Brown leather medical case. The case has a solid frame and is rectangular, with a leather handle at top. There are two locks on the top of the case, and a metal clasp on either side to fasten the bag closed. The case is embossed with the text 'R.G. WORCESTER' on top, in a position between the two locks and below the handle at bottom centre. The inside of the case is lined with a canvas bag that is buttoned to the case with press studs. The inside of the case also contains a loose canvas bag on which is handwritten 'BAG No/THREE/ R.G. WORCESTER'. The loose canvas bag has a metal zipper at opening.'R.G.WORCESTER'obstetrics, surgery

This hat and hat box was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by the family of Doctor William Roy Angus, Surgeon and Oculist. It is part of the “W.R. Angus Collection” which includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material once belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) as well as Dr Angus’ belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. McDade is the surname of Dr Angus’ daughter Berry (Berenice) McDade nee Angus. This had belonged to her father Dr William Roy Angus, Surgeon and Oculist (1901 –1970), who wore it on the ship T.S.S. LARGS BAY when travelling from Australia to Scotland for extended studies to be a “Fellow” of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1929. This bicorn, cocked hat was worn with narrow points towards the front and back. It is decorated with flat gold braid or ‘lace’ with a geometrical design. Regimental lace was worn on the uniform and headdress of regimental officers in the 19th century. Gold lace chevrons were worn on coats to signify rank. Drummers and Foot Guards also wore regimental lace to distinguish them from other military personnel. In the late 19th century the English and Welsh infantry officers’ uniforms displayed a rose-pattern lace. The gold bullion and underlying crimson ‘eyes’ have been used to signify the rank of the owner. Crimson eyes were used for military personnel, and blue eyes were used for naval personnel. Different numbers and colours of the bullion and eyes may have been used to represent different military ranks. The Regulations specify nine tassels and eleven underlying eyes but there could have been variations. We have not yet identified the rank for this particular hat but hats such as this were part of the Australian and British naval uniforms in the early 20th century. The gold button’s emblem features a cross with five stars, a crown, and the motto “AUT PACE AUT BELLO,” which translates as “either in peace or in war.” Museum Victoria has a similar button and writes that buttons with this design were used by the Victorian Volunteers in the nineteenth century. The Australian War Memorial Curator of Military Heraldry advised Museum Victoria that these buttons dated from 1880 to 1892 and were worn by regular, unranked soldiers. Tasmanian Midshipman Alan Casey, who served the British and Australian Navy from 1919 to 1933 and retired as a Lieutenant Commander, owned a similar officer's bicorn hat. His hat and epaulettes are in the Tasmanian Maritime Museum's collection. The Australian War Memorial has a hat that is very similar in design, described as an “Artillery Staff Officer’s cocked had with plume, worn by Volunteer Artillery Staff in the Victorian Colonial Military Forces”. That hat is different in that it has a plume and the braid and button are silver. Berry MdDade, the donor, has used the hat many times as a dress-up hat but doesn’t know the origin of it. The hat seems to fit the design of the Staff Officers in Victorian Volunteers in Colonial times, but the button on this hat was used for unranked volunteers. Also, military uniforms usually have very clear manufacturer’s labels, as they are made by reputable companies under contract to the Defence Department. The manufacturer’s mark is not discernible on this hat. The origin, original wearer and use of this particular hat is unclear. The military bicorn cockade hat belonged to Dr William Roy Angus and is part of the W.R. Angus Collection. It is significant for still being located at the site connected to Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The collection of medical instruments and other equipment is culturally significant, as an historical example of medicine from late 19th to mid-20th century. Dr Angus assisted Dr Tom Ryan, a pioneer in the use of X-rays and in ocular surgery. Black bicorn cocked hat and case. It appears to be part of a 19th-century Colonial full-dress naval officer's uniform. The long, narrow crescent-shaped hat is made of beaver fabric and the crown is lined with crimson silk and finished with a hand-stitched leather sweatband. On one flat side is a pleated black silk, lace cockade woven in the pattern of oak leaves and acorns. The cockade is overlaid with a double row of gold lace braiding secure with a Victorian Volunteer’s gold button. Wide diagonal bands of black lace braid trim are on each side of the gold braiding. The other side of the hat is plain. The front and back points of the hat each have seven gold bullion tassels with nine underlying twists of crimson ‘eyes’. The fitted metal carry case has a catch and a plaque on one side. The button bears a crown and cross with five stars and a motto. Inside the hat is a white name tag with clear adhesive over it, with black printed text with the name “Mc Dade”. The hat is part of the W.R. Angus Collection.The hat has no maker’s marks although there is a darker colour in the centre where there could have been a label. Inside the hat is taped a printed label; “Mc DADE 801 1032” Button’s emblem- a cross with five stars, under a crown, all within a buckled belt with the motto “AUT PACE AUT BELLO” [either in peace or in war] The plaque on the case has no legible marks.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, dr w r angus, t.s.s. largs bay, berry mcdade, 19th century colonial military uniform, artillery staff officer’s cocked had, victorian volunteers, victorian colonial military forces, colonial militia, aut pace aut bello, cocked hat, cockade hat, bicorn hat, military bullion, oak leaves and acorns pattern, gold bullion tassels, military heraldry, w.r. angus collection., australian navy, british navy, uniform

Through many millennia, various suture materials were used or proposed. Needles were made of bone or metals such as silver, copper, and aluminium bronze wire. Sutures were made of plant materials (flax, hemp and cotton) or animal material (hair, tendons, arteries, muscle strips and nerves, silk, and catgut).[citation needed] The earliest reports of surgical suture date to 3000 BC in ancient Egypt, and the oldest known suture is in a mummy from 1100 BC. A detailed description of a wound suture and the suture materials used in it is by the Indian sage and physician Sushruta, written in 500 BC. The Greek father of medicine, Hippocrates, described suture techniques, as did the later Roman Aulus Cornelius Celsus. The 2nd-century Roman physician Galen described sutures made of surgical gut or catgut. In the 10th century, the catgut suture along with the surgery needle were used in operations by Abulcasis. The gut suture was similar to that of strings for violins, guitars, and tennis racquets and it involved harvesting sheep or cow intestines. Catgut sometimes led to infection due to a lack of disinfection and sterilization of the material. Joseph Lister endorsed the routine sterilization of all suture threads. He first attempted sterilization with the 1860s "carbolic catgut," and chromic catgut followed two decades later. Sterile catgut was finally achieved in 1906 with iodine treatment. The next great leap came in the twentieth century. The chemical industry drove production of the first synthetic thread in the early 1930s, which exploded into production of numerous absorbable and non-absorbable synthetics. The first synthetic absorbable was based on polyvinyl alcohol in 1931. Polyesters were developed in the 1950s, and later the process of radiation sterilization was established for catgut and polyester. Polyglycolic acid was discovered in the 1960s and implemented in the 1970s. Today, most sutures are made of synthetic polymer fibers. Silk and, rarely, gut sutures are the only materials still in use from ancient times. In fact, gut sutures have been banned in Europe and Japan owing to concerns regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Silk suture is still used today, mainly to secure surgical drains. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_suture#:~:text=Sutures%20were%20made%20of%20plant,a%20mummy%20from%201100%20BC. This tin contains a variety of surgical threads and accessories that were used by Dr W.R.Angus. It was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by the family of Doctor William Roy Angus, Surgeon and Oculist. It is part of the “W.R. Angus Collection” that includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material once belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) as well as Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. ABOUT THE “W.R.ANGUS COLLECTION” Doctor William Roy Angus M.B., B.S., Adel., 1923, F.R.C.S. Edin.,1928 (also known as Dr Roy Angus) was born in Murrumbeena, Victoria in 1901 and lived until 1970. He qualified as a doctor in 1923 at University of Adelaide, was Resident Medical Officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1924 and for a period was house surgeon to Sir (then Mr.) Henry Simpson Newland. Dr Angus was briefly an Assistant to Dr Riddell of Kapunda, then commenced private practice at Curramulka, Yorke Peninsula, SA, where he was physician, surgeon and chemist. In 1926, he was appointed as new Medical Assistant to Dr Thomas Francis Ryan (T.F. Ryan, or Tom), in Nhill, Victoria, where his experiences included radiology and pharmacy. In 1927 he was Acting House Surgeon in Dr Tom Ryan’s absence. Dr Angus had become engaged to Gladys Forsyth and they decided he would take time to further his studies overseas in the UK in 1927. He studied at London University College Hospital and at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and in 1928, was awarded FRCS (Fellow from the Royal College of Surgeons), Edinburgh. He worked his passage back to Australia as a Ship’s Surgeon on the on the Australian Commonwealth Line’s SS Largs Bay. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1929, in Ballarat. (They went on to have one son (Graham 1932, born in SA) and two daughters (Helen (died 12/07/1996) and Berenice (Berry), both born at Mira, Nhill ) Dr Angus was a ‘flying doctor’ for the A.I.M. (Australian Inland Ministry) Aerial Medical Service in 1928 . The organisation began in South Australia through the Presbyterian Church in that year, with its first station being in the remote town of Oodnadatta, where Dr Angus was stationed. He was locum tenens there on North-South Railway at 21 Mile Camp. He took up this ‘flying doctor’ position in response to a call from Dr John Flynn; the organisation was later known as the Flying Doctor Service, then the Royal Flying Doctor Service. A lot of his work during this time involved dental surgery also. Between 1928-1932 he was surgeon at the Curramulka Hospital, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. In 1933 Dr Angus returned to Nhill where he’d previously worked as Medical Assistant and purchased a share of the Nelson Street practice and Mira hospital from Dr Les Middleton one of the Middleton Brothers, the current owners of what was once Dr Tom Ryan’s practice. Dr L Middleton was House Surgeon to the Nhill Hospital 1926-1933, when he resigned. [Dr Tom Ryan’s practice had originally belonged to his older brother Dr Edward Ryan, who came to Nhill in 1885. Dr Edward saw patients at his rooms, firstly in Victoria Street and in 1886 in Nelson Street, until 1901. The Nelson Street practice also had a 2 bed ward, called Mira Private Hospital ). Dr Edward Ryan was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital 1884-1902 . He also had occasions where he successfully performed veterinary surgery for the local farmers too. Dr Tom Ryan then purchased the practice from his brother in 1901. Both Dr Edward and Dr Tom Ryan work as surgeons included eye surgery. Dr Tom Ryan performed many of his operations in the Mira private hospital on his premises. He too was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital 1902-1926. Dr Tom Ryan had one of the only two pieces of radiology equipment in Victoria during his practicing years – The Royal Melbourne Hospital had the other one. Over the years Dr Tom Ryan gradually set up what was effectively a training school for country general-practitioner-surgeons. Each patient was carefully examined, including using the X-ray machine, and any surgery was discussed and planned with Dr Ryan’s assistants several days in advance. Dr Angus gained experience in using the X-ray machine there during his time as assistant to Dr Ryan. Dr Tom Ryan moved from Nhill in 1926. He became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1927, soon after its formation, a rare accolade for a doctor outside any of the major cities. He remained a bachelor and died suddenly on 7th Dec 1955, aged 91, at his home in Ararat. Scholarships and prizes are still awarded to medical students in the honour of Dr T.F. Ryan and his father, Dr Michael Ryan, and brother, John Patrick Ryan. ] When Dr Angus bought into the Nelson Street premises in Nhill he was also appointed as the Nhill Hospital’s Honorary House Surgeon 1933-1938. His practitioner’s plate from his Nhill surgery states “HOURS Daily, except Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons, 9-10am, 2-4pm, 7-8pm. Sundays by appointment”. This plate is now mounted on the doorway to the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Tom Ryan had an extensive collection of historical medical equipment and materials spanning 1884-1926 and when Dr Angus took up practice in their old premises he obtained this collection, a large part of which is now on display at the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool. During his time in Nhill Dr Angus was involved in the merging of the Mira Hospital and Nhill Public Hospital into one public hospital and the property titles passed on to Nhill Hospital in 1939. In 1939 Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool where he purchased “Birchwood,” the 1852 home and medical practice of Dr John Hunter Henderson, at 214 Koroit Street. (This property was sold in1965 to the State Government and is now the site of the Warrnambool Police Station. ). The Angus family was able to afford gardeners, cooks and maids; their home was a popular place for visiting dignitaries to stay whilst visiting Warrnambool. Dr Angus had his own silk worm farm at home in a Mulberry tree. His young daughter used his centrifuge for spinning the silk. Dr Angus was appointed on a part-time basis as Port Medical Officer (Health Officer) in Warrnambool and held this position until the 1940’s when the government no longer required the service of a Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool; he was thus Warrnambool’s last serving Port Medical Officer. (The duties of a Port Medical Officer were outlined by the Colonial Secretary on 21st June, 1839 under the terms of the Quarantine Act. Masters of immigrant ships arriving in port reported incidents of diseases, illness and death and the Port Medical Officer made a decision on whether the ship required Quarantine and for how long, in this way preventing contagious illness from spreading from new immigrants to the residents already in the colony.) Dr Angus was a member of the Australian Medical Association, for 35 years and surgeon at the Warrnambool Base Hospital 1939-1942, He served as a Surgeon Captain during WWII1942-45, in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W., completing his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. During his convalescence he carved an intricate and ‘most artistic’ chess set from the material that dentures were made from. He then studied ophthalmology at the Royal Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital and created cosmetically superior artificial eyes by pioneering using the intrascleral cartilage. Angus received accolades from the Ophthalmological Society of Australasia for this work. He returned to Warrnambool to commence practice as an ophthalmologist, pioneering in artificial eye improvements. He was Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist to Warrnambool Base Hospital for 31 years. He made monthly visits to Portland as a visiting surgeon, to perform eye surgery. He represented the Victorian South-West subdivision of the Australian Medical Association as its secretary between 1949 and 1956 and as chairman from 1956 to 1958. In 1968 Dr Angus was elected member of Spain’s Barraquer Institute of Barcelona after his research work in Intrasclearal cartilage grafting, becoming one of the few Australian ophthalmologists to receive this honour, and in the following year presented his final paper on Living Intrasclearal Cartilage Implants at the Inaugural Meeting of the Australian College of Ophthalmologists in Melbourne In his personal life Dr Angus was a Presbyterian and treated Sunday as a Sabbath, a day of rest. He would visit 3 or 4 country patients on a Sunday, taking his children along ‘for the ride’ and to visit with him. Sunday evenings he would play the pianola and sing Scottish songs to his family. One of Dr Angus’ patients was Margaret MacKenzie, author of a book on local shipwrecks that she’d seen as an eye witness from the late 1880’s in Peterborough, Victoria. In the early 1950’s Dr Angus, painted a picture of a shipwreck for the cover jacket of Margaret’s book, Shipwrecks and More Shipwrecks. She was blind in later life and her daughter wrote the actual book for her. Dr Angus and his wife Gladys were very involved in Warrnambool’s society with a strong interest in civic affairs. Their interests included organisations such as Red Cross, Rostrum, Warrnambool and District Historical Society (founding members), Wine and Food Society, Steering Committee for Tertiary Education in Warrnambool, Local National Trust, Good Neighbour Council, Housing Commission Advisory Board, United Services Institute, Legion of Ex-Servicemen, Olympic Pool Committee, Food for Britain Organisation, Warrnambool Hospital, Anti-Cancer Council, Boys’ Club, Charitable Council, National Fitness Council and Air Raid Precautions Group. He was also a member of the Steam Preservation Society and derived much pleasure from a steam traction engine on his farm. He had an interest in people and the community He and his wife Gladys were both involved in the creation of Flagstaff Hill, including the layout of the gardens. After his death (28th March 1970) his family requested his practitioner’s plate, medical instruments and some personal belongings be displayed in the Port Medical Office surgery at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, and be called the “W. R. Angus Collection”. The repair of open wounds is essential to prevent infection and death. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The collection of medical instruments and other equipment is culturally significant, being an historical example of medicine from late 19th to mid-20th century. Dr Angus assisted Dr Tom Ryan, a pioneer in the use of X-rays and in ocular surgery. Black tin with hinged lid, containing reels and packets of surgical silk, gut and metal suture threads, scalpel blades, chamois and metal blade holder with tensioned chamois piece across top. (W.R. Angus Collection)‘MEDRAFIL, Dr MULLER- MEERNACH, Nr O, MADE IN GERMANY.’ printed on one of the paper bags in the box containing a suture bobbin. 'PEARSALL'S LONDON' printed on some bobbins. 'J A DEKNATEL & SON INC, QUEENS VILLAGE, LONG ISLAND NEW YORK' printed on others.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, surgical silks and sutures, dr w r angus, medical equipment, surgical instrument, dr ryan, ophthalmology, s.s. largs bay, warrnambool base hospital, nhill base hospital, flying doctor, medical history, medical treatment, mira hospital, medical education, sutures, surgical silk

The Thermoscope The thermometer dates back to the early 1600s, with Galileo’s invention of the “thermoscope.” Galileo’s device could determine whether temperature was rising or falling, but was not able to detect the actual scale of the temperature. In 1612, Italian inventor and physician Sanctorius was the first to put a numerical scale on the thermoscope. His product was also designed for taking temperature from a patient’s mouth. However, neither Galileo’s nor Sanctorius’ thermoscopes were very accurate. Standardized Scales In 1709, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invented his first thermometer using alcohol. He later introduced the mercury thermometer in 1714, which was more accurate and predictable. The Fahrenheit temperature scale was standardized in 1724 with a freezing point of 32 degrees and a boiling point of 212 degrees. Fahrenheit’s mercury thermometer is recognized as the first modern thermometer with a standardized scale. The Celsius scale was invented in 1742 by Anders Celsius, with a freezing point of 0 degrees and a boiling point of 100 degrees. This scale was accepted into the international conference on weights and measurements in 1948. The Kelvin Scale, measuring extreme temperatures, was developed by Lord Kelvin in 1848. Registering Thermometers Early versions of the thermometer were not able to hold the temperature after they were moved. You can imagine how this made it hard for doctors to correctly read a patient’s temperature. The first thermometer that could register and hold onto temperature was built by James Six in 1782. Today, it is known as Six’s thermometer. Since then, the mercury thermometer was adapted to read a patients temperature after leaving the body. Registering thermometers are still used today and are reset by shaking down the mercury to the bottom of the tube. The Modern Devices Modern Day Thermometers This brings us to the first practical clinical thermometer, which was invented in 1867 by Sir Thomas Allbutt. The device was portable, about 6 inches long and was capable of recording a patient’s temperature in 5 minutes. Now, there are a few options for clinical and home use. Liquid filled thermometers have been adapted based on the designs of inventors like Fahrenheight and Six are still used today. Digital thermometers, like the Omron Compact Digital Thermometer, are capable of finding a temperature and producing an electronic number within a minute of use. Digital ear thermometers also produce a quick and accurate temperature. Dr. Jacob Fraden invented an infared thermometer called the Thermoscan Human Ear Thermometer in 1984. These thermometers use an infared light to scan the heat radiation in a patient’s ear or forehead. The thermometer, like many medical devices, has made strides in efficiency and accuracy. As medical technology continues to advance, businesses in the medical device industry must be prepared to move with it. This thermometer was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by the family of Doctor William Roy Angus, Surgeon and Oculist. It is part of the “W.R. Angus Collection” that includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments, and material once belonging to Dr. Edward Ryan and Dr. Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) as well as Dr. Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr. Angus, up until 1969. ABOUT THE “W.R.ANGUS COLLECTION” Doctor William Roy Angus M.B., B.S., Adel., 1923, F.R.C.S. Edin.,1928 (also known as Dr. Roy Angus) was born in Murrumbeena, Victoria in 1901 and lived until 1970. He qualified as a doctor in 1923 at the University of Adelaide, was Resident Medical Officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1924 and for a period was house surgeon to Sir (then Mr.) Henry Simpson Newland. Dr. Angus was briefly an Assistant to Dr. Riddell of Kapunda, then commenced private practice at Curramulka, Yorke Peninsula, SA, where he was a physician, surgeon, and chemist. In 1926, he was appointed as a new Medical Assistant to Dr. Thomas Francis Ryan (T.F. Ryan, or Tom), in Nhill, Victoria, where his experiences included radiology and pharmacy. In 1927 he was Acting House Surgeon in Dr. Tom Ryan’s absence. Dr. Angus had become engaged to Gladys Forsyth and they decided he would take time to further his studies overseas in the UK in 1927. He studied at London University College Hospital and at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and in 1928, was awarded FRCS (Fellow from the Royal College of Surgeons), Edinburgh. He worked his passage back to Australia as a Ship’s Surgeon on the Australian Commonwealth Line’s SS Largs Bay. Dr. Angus married Gladys in 1929, in Ballarat. (They went on to have one son (Graham 1932, born in SA) and two daughters (Helen (died 12/07/1996) and Berenice (Berry), both born at Mira, Nhill ) Dr. Angus was a ‘flying doctor’ for the A.I.M. (Australian Inland Ministry) Aerial Medical Service in 1928. The organisation began in South Australia through the Presbyterian Church that year, with its first station being in the remote town of Oodnadatta, where Dr. Angus was stationed. He was locum tenens there on North-South Railway at 21 Mile Camp. He took up this ‘flying doctor’ position in response to a call from Dr. John Flynn; the organisation was later known as the Flying Doctor Service, then the Royal Flying Doctor Service. A lot of his work during this time involved dental surgery also. Between 1928-1932 he was a surgeon at the Curramulka Hospital, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. In 1933 Dr. Angus returned to Nhill where he’d previously worked as Medical Assistant and purchased a share of the Nelson Street practice and Mira hospital from Dr. Les Middleton one of the Middleton Brothers, the current owners of what was once Dr. Tom Ryan’s practice. Dr. L Middleton was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital from 1926-1933 when he resigned. [Dr. Tom Ryan’s practice had originally belonged to his older brother Dr. Edward Ryan, who came to Nhill in 1885. Dr. Edward saw patients in his rooms, firstly in Victoria Street and in 1886 in Nelson Street, until 1901. The Nelson Street practice also had a 2-bed ward, called Mira Private Hospital ). Dr. Edward Ryan was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital from 1884-1902. He also had occasions where he successfully performed veterinary surgery for the local farmers too. Dr. Tom Ryan then purchased the practice from his brother in 1901. Both Dr. Edward and Dr. Tom Ryan work as surgeons including in eye surgery. Dr. Tom Ryan performed many of his operations in the Mira private hospital on his premises. He too was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital from 1902-1926. Dr. Tom Ryan had one of the only two pieces of radiology equipment in Victoria during his practicing years – The Royal Melbourne Hospital had the other one. Over the years Dr. Tom Ryan gradually set up what was effectively a training school for country general-practitioner-surgeons. Each patient was carefully examined, including using the X-ray machine, and any surgery was discussed and planned with Dr. Ryan’s assistants several days in advance. Dr. Angus gained experience in using the X-ray machine there during his time as assistant to Dr. Ryan. Dr. Tom Ryan moved from Nhill in 1926. He became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1927, soon after its formation, a rare accolade for a doctor outside any of the major cities. He remained a bachelor and died suddenly on 7th Dec 1955, aged 91, at his home in Ararat. Scholarships and prizes are still awarded to medical students in the honour of Dr. T.F. Ryan and his father, Dr. Michael Ryan, and brother, John Patrick Ryan. ] When Dr. Angus bought into the Nelson Street premises in Nhill he was also appointed as the Nhill Hospital’s Honorary House Surgeon from 1933-1938. His practitioner’s plate from his Nhill surgery states “HOURS Daily, except Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons, 9-10 am, 2-4 pm, 7-8 pm. Sundays by appointment”. This plate is now mounted on the doorway to the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. Dr. Edward Ryan and Dr. Tom Ryan had an extensive collection of historical medical equipment and materials spanning 1884-1926 and when Dr. Angus took up practice in their old premises he obtained this collection, a large part of which is now on display at the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool. During his time in Nhill Dr. Angus was involved in the merging of the Mira Hospital and Nhill Public Hospital into one public hospital and the property titles were passed on to Nhill Hospital in 1939. In 1939 Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool where he purchased “Birchwood,” the 1852 home and medical practice of Dr. John Hunter Henderson, at 214 Koroit Street. (This property was sold in1965 to the State Government and is now the site of the Warrnambool Police Station. ). The Angus family was able to afford gardeners, cooks, and maids; their home was a popular place for visiting dignitaries to stay whilst visiting Warrnambool. Dr. Angus had his own silkworm farm at home in a Mulberry tree. His young daughter used his centrifuge for spinning the silk. Dr. Angus was appointed on a part-time basis as Port Medical Officer (Health Officer) in Warrnambool and held this position until the 1940’s when the government no longer required the service of a Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool; he was thus Warrnambool’s last serving Port Medical Officer. (The duties of a Port Medical Officer were outlined by the Colonial Secretary on 21st June 1839 under the terms of the Quarantine Act. Masters of immigrant ships arriving in port reported incidents of diseases, illness, and death and the Port Medical Officer made a decision on whether the ship required Quarantine and for how long, in this way preventing contagious illness from spreading from new immigrants to the residents already in the colony.) Dr. Angus was a member of the Australian Medical Association, for 35 years and a surgeon at the Warrnambool Base Hospital from 1939-1942, He served as a Surgeon Captain during WWII1942-45, in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W., completing his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. During his convalescence, he carved an intricate and ‘most artistic’ chess set from the material that dentures were made from. He then studied ophthalmology at the Royal Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital and created cosmetically superior artificial eyes by pioneering using the intrascleral cartilage. Angus received accolades from the Ophthalmological Society of Australasia for this work. He returned to Warrnambool to commence practice as an ophthalmologist, pioneering artificial eye improvements. He was Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Warrnambool Base Hospital for 31 years. He made monthly visits to Portland as a visiting surgeon, to perform eye surgery. He represented the Victorian South-West subdivision of the Australian Medical Association as its secretary between 1949 and 1956 and as chairman from 1956 to 1958. In 1968 Dr. Angus was elected a member of Spain’s Barraquer Institute of Barcelona after his research work in Intrasclearal cartilage grafting, becoming one of the few Australian ophthalmologists to receive this honour, and in the following year presented his final paper on Living Intrasclearal Cartilage Implants at the Inaugural Meeting of the Australian College of Ophthalmologists in Melbourne In his personal life, Dr. Angus was a Presbyterian and treated Sunday as a Sabbath, a day of rest. He would visit 3 or 4 country patients on a Sunday, taking his children along ‘for the ride’ and to visit with him. Sunday evenings he would play the pianola and sing Scottish songs to his family. One of Dr. Angus’ patients was Margaret MacKenzie, author of a book on local shipwrecks that she’d seen as an eyewitness from the late 1880s in Peterborough, Victoria. In the early 1950’s Dr. Angus, painted a picture of a shipwreck for the cover jacket of Margaret’s book, Shipwrecks, and More Shipwrecks. She was blind in later life and her daughter wrote the actual book for her. Dr. Angus and his wife Gladys were very involved in Warrnambool’s society with a strong interest in civic affairs. Their interests included organisations such as the Red Cross, Rostrum, Warrnambool and District Historical Society (founding members), Wine and Food Society, Steering Committee for Tertiary Education in Warrnambool, Local National Trust, Good Neighbour Council, Housing Commission Advisory Board, United Services Institute, Legion of Ex-Servicemen, Olympic Pool Committee, Food for Britain Organisation, Warrnambool Hospital, Anti-Cancer Council, Boys’ Club, Charitable Council, National Fitness Council, and Air Raid Precautions Group. He was also a member of the Steam Preservation Society and derived much pleasure from a steam traction engine on his farm. He had an interest in people and the community He and his wife Gladys were both involved in the creation of Flagstaff Hill, including the layout of the gardens. After his death (28th March 1970) his family requested his practitioner’s plate, medical instruments, and some personal belongings be displayed in the Port Medical Office surgery at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, and be called the “W. R. Angus Collection”. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The collection of medical instruments and other equipment is culturally significant, being an historical example of medicine from late 19th to mid-20th century. Dr Angus assisted Dr Tom Ryan, a pioneer in the use of X-rays and in ocular surgery. Long cylindrical glass thermometer with mercury bulb, inside a light weight wooden cylinder with top, (W.R. Angus Collection) Temperature scale in fahrenheit. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, thermometer, dr w r angus, medical equipment, surgical instrument, dr ryan, ophthalmology, s.s. largs bay, warrnambool base hospital, nhill base hospital, flying doctor, medical history, medical treatment, mira hospital, medical education