The foundation stone for Melbourne’s first public hospital was laid in 1846, on the same day as the foundation stone for the Prince’s Bridge. Opening its doors in 1848, the hospital was initially known as ‘The Charity’, because originally it treated only the poor. As Melbourne expanded, so it grew and survived the ordeals of the boom, depression and the severe sanitation problems of the nineteenth century. Rebuilt on its original Lonsdale Street site in 1912-14, thanks to the generosity of the Edward Wilson Estate, it moved to its present Parkville site (originally the Pig Market) in 1944. The shift was interrupted by World War Two and the US Army occupation of the hospital. Widening its purposes to serve the community, it preserved a tradition of taking all cases of need, and the hospital was often described as having an ‘ever open door’. As well as being Melbourne’s first public hospital, it developed special links with the University of Melbourne as a teaching hospital, and as a centre for medical research. The doctors, nurses and general staff have earned the hospital an international reputation over the past 150 years, strongly supported by much voluntary work, and with the financial support of the community. Against the background of the main personalities involved, Alan Gregory’s history traces the development of this great hospital from its humble beginnings to the hospital today – now part of a wider health network. The text, together with numerous illustrations, catches the ‘spirit of the place’ and its rich archival heritage.

CONTENTS
Illustrations ix. Introduction xiii. Acknowledgements xv. Abbreviations xviii.

1. Foundation and formation: the 1840s p1. Staff p15: Edmund Charles Hobson 1814-1848. Godfrey Howitt 1800-1873. Arthur O’Mullane 1812-1863. William Henry Campbell 1814-1888. Augustus F.A. Greeves 1805-1874. David John Thomas 1813-1871. William Byam Wilmot 1805-1874.

2. Gold and expansion: the 1850s p19. Arthur Colling Brownless 1817-1897 p31.

3. The dark ages: 1860-1880 p34. The Convalescent Fund p37. Some hospital statistics p38. Sanitation and public health p40. Funds and finance p42. Buildings p46. The new hospital [new wing] p46. Inside the hospital p48. The election of medical staff p50. Antisepsis p52. The medical staff p53: James B. Motherwell 1815-1886. William Henry Cutts 1828-1897. Edward Barker 1816-1885. James Thomas Rudall 1828-1907. Thomas Naghten FitzGerald 1838-1908. Richard Eades 1809-1867. Tharpe Mountain Girdlestone 1823-1899. James Robertson 1822-1893. William Garrard 1826-1883. Edwin Matthews James 1829-1900. James George Beaney 1828-1891 p58. James Edward Neild 1824 -1905 p60. The medical school p61. Nightingale methods [nursing] p62. Committee of Management p64.

4. Not so marvellous Melbourne: the 1880s p67. The hospital – eyewitness accounts p68. Medical comforts p70. Erysipelas [hospitalism, hospital diseases, septicaemia] p71. To shift or not to shift [the hospital] p73. Finance p76. Overcrowding p79. Committee of Management p80. Election of medical staff p81. Women in the medical course p86. The medical student in the hospital p86. Friendly societies p90. Developments in medicine p92. Nursing p93. Not so marvellous [struggle to survive] p97. Staff p98: Patrick Moloney 1843-1904. John William Springthorpe 1855-1933. John Williams 1841-1914.

5. The disheartening decade: the 1890s p100. A stroll through the hospital p101. The nurse p105. The Royal Commission on Charitable Institutions p106. The site p109. Imposition [people pretending to be poor to get services] p110. Finance p112. Roentgen rays p114. ‘The ladies have come to stay’ [admission of women into the medical course] p116. Nursing p117. Medical science p121. Election of medical staff p124. Medical staff p126. Secretary p126. The end of the century p127. Staff p128: (Sir) Harry Brookes Allen 1854-1926. (Sir) James William Barrett 1862-1945. Frederick Dougan Bird 1858-1929. Edward Henry Embley 1861-1924. (Sir) Charles Snodgrass Ryan KBE CB CMG 1853-1926. John William Springthorpe 1855-1933. Robert Andrew Stirling 1855-1928. (Sir) George Adlington Syme 1859-1929.

6. Change at last: 1900-1914 p134. Patients p142. Finance p143. Paying patients p145. A Royal hospital? p145. The Committee p146. Anaesthesia p148. Specialties p148. Nursing p149. Massage p152. The Medical Superintendent p152. Doctors p153. A contemporary view [C. Trent de Crespigny] p156. Tent accommodation p157. Diseases p158. Infectious diseases p159. Resident medical officers p159. Elections p160. Donors p162. The spirit of the place p163. Staff p168: Jane Bell 1873-1959. Thomas Hugh Boyd 1867-1936. William Robert Boyd (Dr Willie or Dr Bill) 1865-1934. Herman Fermor Lawrence 1863-1936. John R. McInerney 1852-1908. (Sir) Henry Carr Maudsley 1859-1944. William ‘Jerry’ Moore 1859-1927. John ‘Johnny’ Edward Nihill 1864-1943. Alexander Wellesley Finch Noyes 1862-1928. John Holden Webb 1830-1908. John Williams 1841-1914. Edward Wilson 1814-1878.

7. World War One and beyond: 1914-1929 p173. The auxiliaries [volunteers] p176. The Charities Board p178. Institute for Research in Pathology and Medicine p179. The battle of the sites re-visited p181. Convalescent Hospital – Caulfield Military Hospital p187. Almoner p187. Departments p189. The Birthday League p190. Patients p191. Finance p191. Imposition p193. Doctors p194. Resident medical officers p196. The Medical Superintendent p198. Nurses p199. The Secretary p204. The Committee p205. Diseases p206. A College of Surgeons [Surgical Association of Victoria; College of Surgeons of Australasia] p207. Staff p209: John Gordon 1868-1939. Konrad Hiller 1875-1965. George Thomas Howard 1857-1934. Basil Kilvington 1877-1947. (Sir) Richard Rawdon Stawell 1864-1935. John Francis Wilkinson 1864-1935.

8. The Depression: 1929-1939 p211. Finance p212. Hospital Benefits Association p213. The site p214. Baillieu’s resignation [A.S. (Arthur) Baillieu] p215. The new hospital at Parkville p216. Patients p223. William Filmer p225. Departments p225. Medical staff p226. Clinical reports p229. A College of Physicians [Royal Australasian College of Physicians] p231. The Almoner’s Department p232. The publicity officer p233. The Committee p234. The Secretary p239. Annual meetings p239. A Royal Melbourne Hospital p241. Paying beds p241. Nursing p242. The Auxiliaries and the Birthday League p245. Prelude to war p245. Staff p246: Lucy Meredith Bryce 1897-1968. Stewart Osburn Cowen 1893-1946. Hilda Josephine Gardner 1890-1953. Helene Dorothy Grey 1895-1987. William Allan Hailes 1892-1949. Charles Halliley Kellaway 1889-1952. Frederick Donald Herbert Blois ‘Blowie’ Lawton 1886-1961. Hibbert Alan Stephen Newton (Sir Alan Newton) 1887-1949. Clifford Henry Coomer Searby 1897-1967. Sydney Valentine Sewell 1880-1949. Redford J. Wright-Smith 1898-1946. Bernard Traugott Zwar (Zeddy) 1876-1947.

9. World War Two and its aftermath: 1940-1948 p251. Almoners p252. The Appeal p253. The Nurse’s Home p253. War and the building p254. USA enters the war p258. Moving in p263. Developments in medicine p267. Departments p268. Doctors p270. Nurses p274. The Committee of Management p278. The Auxiliary and the Birthday League p280. The Hospital Benefits Act p281. Post-war changes p283. Hospital philosophy p286. Staff: (Sir) Clive Hamilton Fitts 1900-1984. Thomas Ernest Victor Hurley 1888-1958. (Sir) William Wallace Stewart Johnston 1887-1962. Charles William Berry Littlejohn 1889-1960. Douglas John Thomas 1896-1954.

10. Success and change: the 1950s p289. Finance p291. Patient numbers p293. Administration p293. Departments p297. Communism p298. People behind the patient p298. The Secretary p299. The Chapel p300. Buildings p301. Central Linen Service and Group Laundry (Central Laundry) p301. Blankets, beds and dentists p302. Caulfield – Fairfield p303. The private hospital p303. The Cancer Institute p304. Migration p304. Doctors p304. The Clinical School p308. International links p310. Research p311. Nursing p312. The Melbourne School of Nursing p314. The Committee p317. Honours p319. Auxiliaries p320. Staff p321: (Sir) Albert Ernest Coates 1895-1977. Reginald Smythe Hooper 1909-1991. William Eric Archer Hughes-Jones 1902-1976. Leslie Everton Hurley 1893-1967. John Henry Lindell 1908-1973. Leslie Algernon Ivan Maxwell 1890-1964. Geoffrey Alfred Penington 1899-1974. Julian Ormond Smith 1903-1971. George Robin Adlington Syme 1902-1975. Barbara Grendon Wood 1897-1979.

11. A changing hospital in a changing world: the 1960s p325. Buildings p326. Property p328. The Planning Committee p329. The Private Intermediate Block p331. Rationalization of hospital services p331. Finance p333. Superannuation p334. Auxiliaries p334. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute p335. Patients p336. Laundry p337. Nursing p337. Administration p342. Departments p343. Committee p344. John Dillon and medical salaries p347. Doctors p348. Vietnam p352. Staff p354: Ernest Reginald Crisp 1903-1996. Ernest Barclay ‘Drev’ Drevermann 1913-1973. Howard Hadfield Eddey 1910-. Keith Douglas Fairley 1898-1977. William Ernest King 1914-1964. Edward Graeme Robertson 1903-1975. Leon Eric Rothstadt 1908-1986. Rutherford Kaye Scott 1904-1991. (Sir) Ian Jeffreys Wood 1903-1986.

12. ‘Better than anything else’: the 1970s p358. Reforms p360. Buildings p365. Enquiries p366. Medibank p367. Finance p369. An appeal p370. Patients p371. Food p372. The departments p372. The Committee (Board) p373. Links with other groups p374. Medical p374. Accreditation p381. Nurses p381. Auxiliaries and the community p383. Archives p384. Staff p386: (Sir) John ‘Jock’ Lewtas Frew 1912-1985. Kenneth James Grice 1915-1980. Margaret Mary Henderson 1915-. (Sir) Edward Stuart Reginald ‘Bill’ Hughes 1919-. Priscilla Sheath Kincaid-Smith 1926-. Alexander John Maum Sinclair 1908-1988. (Sir) Thomas a’Beckett Travers 1902-.

13. A hospital in transition: the 1980s p389. Nursing p389. The nurse’s strike p390. Professional issues in nursing p392. Medical staff p392. Medical departments p395. The Clinical Research Unit p397. The Executive Director p398. The Director of Medical Services p398. Administration p399. The Board of Management p400. The Law Committee p403. Building p403. The Central Linen Service p404. Finance p404. Industrial issues p407. The Essendon and District Memorial Hospital p408. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research p411. The Ludwig Institute p413. Auxiliaries and the community p413. Staff p415: Dianne O. Campbell 1944-. Thomas Henry Hurley 1925-. Donald Gordon ‘Scotty’ Macleish 1928-. Frank Ian Russell ‘Skip’ Martin 1929-. Sir Gustav Nossal 1931-.

14. From hospital to network: the 1990s p417. Buildings p421. The Private Hospital p422. Patients p422. The Pharmacy p423. The Auxiliaries and community p423. Clinical directions p424. Medical p425. Nursing p428. The Board of Management p429. Hospital gives way to network p429.

Appendix 1: Office bearers p433. Appendix 2: Medical staff p440. Chronology p454. Bibliography p460. Index p472.