John Harcourt: That’s how you do it! Then I was fortunate enough to go back ten years later, and did quite a bit more research.

Meanwhile, the situation in Melbourne had changed enormously with Peter Reade having come, and Bryan Radden[96] and a lot of other people getting interested in doing research, not only in dental materials, which is one of my areas of interest, but in a wide range of areas. Professor Storey was undertaking research in a variety of fields with a number of collaborators including the present Head of School, Eric Reynolds, and he diversified into a number of other areas such as genetic influences on dental health.

Peter Reade: When I came to Melbourne, the Department that I chaired had three subjects that I looked after, oral anatomy, oral pathology and oral surgery. And not too long after I arrived we introduced another subject, which has become a specialist discipline, called oral medicine. I had worked in science departments for about 10 years before I came here and I had a fairly good grounding and had had some wonderful mentors I learned about the scientific way to go about things. One of the things I did with Tony Storey was to introduce a research project to undergraduate students, working in groups of about four, in their final year. Was it in final year?

John Harcourt: It was fourth year.

Peter Reade: The year before final year. They were associated with a mentor, were given a subject, and given some instruction while carrying out the project, which was then presented as a group presentation on a day at the end of the year. It was probably, to me, one of the highlights of each year.

I think that helped a lot to not only show the importance of research, but to actually live it. So that out of those research groups, we had a fairly good flow of graduate students doing Masters degrees, some by thesis, some by coursework and minor thesis, and also some PhD people. I think in the years I was there we had about 20 PhD students and something like 50 Masters students spread between oral anatomy, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral surgery.

It was part of my dream to more closely associate medicine with dentistry, or vice-versa. I think dentistry should be a special field of medicine. That was part of my approach to the Faculty, but it didn’t obviously get too much further except that oral and maxillo-facial surgeons in Australia are doubly qualified now.

Ann Westmore: How do the rest of you feel about that idea?

Henry Atkinson: Well, I have to go back to the beginning. In England I was working in biochemistry and doing a bit of clinical work in histology. Before I came here, I was offered places in physiology and biochemistry, working with ‘Pansy’ Wright and Professor Trikojus.[97]

There was nothing in the way of research going on in the Dental School. We started slowly. Before John [Harcourt] went to America, he was working for years in the Department on material science, and also on histological subjects including the peri-tubular zone from memory. Clive Dennis was working on denture-based materials and Alan Grant[98] was doing the same. And Clive was engaged in cleft palates in children because I’d started the cleft palate clinic at the Children’s Hospital before Roger Hall came on.[99] I appointed Roger.

We’d got the nucleus going. And that’s why I was determined, with the help of the University, to ensure that this was going to continue. I worked very hard to get Tony Storey on the staff, and then Peter, and then we continued it.

Ann Westmore: But do you think that there is any future in dentistry being a specialty of medicine?

Henry Atkinson: It’s a difficult one to answer. I think dentistry may be a specialty on its own. Based on my experience as a maxillo-facial surgeon, I would divorce dentistry from plastic surgery. Dentists should be confined to surgery within the mouth. And outside the mouth goes into the hands of the plastic surgeon. The two have to work very closely together.

Hector Orams: In terms of research, for a number of years I liaised with Monash University Physics Department. They had a technique of selected-area argon-ion-beam thinning which enabled us to examine the crystalline structure of enamel, micro-pores and remineralisation using high voltage electron microscopy and electron diffraction. This went on for a number of years and, after I retired, I continued there for three more years to finalise the project. The NHMRC and Departmental grants funded the research.

I had a very collaborative relationship with the Monash Physics Department through Professor Bill Rachinger[100] and Dr Prem Phakey[101] and Dr Joe Palamara[102]. Dr Palamara is now on the staff of the Dental School.

Ann Westmore: I wondered if a recent student, such as Felicity, could comment on the experience of doing a research project and thesis during their dental science course?

Felicity Crombie: The thesis is pretty brief. The main focus is the oral presentation, and then taking questions and constructive criticism on, perhaps, design flaws. There’s not an awful lot about how to do research.

I would like to see a bit more collaboration between medicine and dentistry. I think it would be good if doctors knew a bit more about what happens in the mouth and to be aware of what we do, and what’s normal or not. We do a little medicine and pharmacology and that helps us when treating people who are for example on blood thinners, like warfarin, to change our management somewhat

Witness to the History of Australian Medicine