ANZCA Bulletin June 2012 - final.pdf - Australian and New Zealand ...

“ She managed even the most irritable surgeonssuperbly telling them to get on with the surgeryfor which they were trained – and giving them ascore on her ‘grizzle graph’!”providing excellent service for electiveand emergency surgery. She waselected to membership of the faculty ofanaesthetists but later declined election tofellowship on the grounds that fellowshipwas the accolade for those who did formaltraining and successfully fulfilled theexamination requirements. It was myprivilege to be invited to join the group– with Mrs McLelland, Dr Robinson,Dr Dunn and Judith Foote.Dr Ruth Molphy, MBBS (Qld) 1947,was appointed registrar 1948-1950 andthen proceeded to the UK, obtaining thetwo-part DA in 1952 before returningto the Brisbane Hospital as director ofanaesthetics 1953-1963, and later asfoundation director at the Prince CharlesHospital 1963-1983. Dr Molphy was aninnovator. She built on Dr Dunn’s firmfoundation and introduced the recoveryroom and the respiratory unit, theforerunner of the modern intensive careunit. She managed even the most irritablesurgeons superbly telling them to geton with the surgery for which they weretrained – and giving them a score on her“grizzle graph”!The input of three remarkablewomen – Dr Dunn, Dr Robinson andDr Molphy – moulded anaestheticpractice in Queensland. They wereexceptionally competent clinicians,gentle and technically dextrous, readyto be innovative with new drugs andtechniques. Importantly, they related wellto patients, surgeons, nurses and otherhealth professionals. So the precedentwas set – women doctors make goodanaesthetists! Appointment of women asanaesthetic registrars was accepted.On the other side of the river, thefirst anaesthetics registrar at the Materwas Dr Patricia O’Hara (Lady Brennan)MBBS (Qld) 1950, in 1952, followed byDr Gavan Carroll MBBS (Qld) 1952, whoserved in the position from 1954 to 1955.He undertook all the teaching of medicalstudents until the appointment of DrSheila Power MRCS LRCP (Sheffield) 1957,DA 1959 as the first director, from 1963to 1973.The last two-part DA,RCP&S washeld in 1953 and it was replaced by thetwo-part FFARCS. Both Dr Dunn andDr Molphy were admitted to FARCS in1954. The Faculty of Anaesthetists of theRoyal Australasian College of Surgeonswas established in 1952 and Dr Dunnand her colleagues, including Dr AverilEarnshaw MBBS (Qld) 1950, DA 1953, weredisappointed to miss out on early offersof foundation membership of the newfaculty although many did in factbecome foundation members.It is apparent that many ex-servicemenhad learnt anaesthetics under fieldconditions, working with surgicalcolleagues who were now in privatepractice and important in medicalpolitics. It is not surprising that prominentex-servicemen – Dr Arnold RobertsonMBBS (Syd) 1936, Dr Hec Willson, MBBS(Syd) 1939, Dr Hugh Connolly MBBS (Qld)1941, Dr Edward Muller MBBS (Qld) 1940,and Dr John Woodley MRCS LRCP 1940– were sponsored for admission to thefledgling Faculty of Anaesthetists, RACS.Dr Robertson and Dr Willson wereadmitted as foundation Fellows and DrConnolly, Dr Dunn, Dr Win Fowles MBBS(Syd) 1939, Dr Molphy, Dr Muller, DrRobinson and Dr Woodley, who graduatedfrom the University College HospitalLondon, as foundation members 2 .(continued next page)From left: Dr Arnold Robertson; Dr Joan Dunn;Professor Tess Cramond.57