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Table of Contents
The development of microvascular surgery in Australia

Introduction

Participants

Beginnings

Developing links with academia and hospital medicine

A bevy of supporters

An ever-widening circle of contributors

Building research capacity

Nurturing relationships

Raising funds for research and development

The microsurgeon and the law

Winning community and corporate support

Leadership

The Institute and its style

Index
Search
Help

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From 'soft' to 'hard' science: The development of microvascular surgery in Australia - Endnotes

1. Geoffrey J. Renton BHA, MNIA, AFAIM, FACHSE (b.1945), joined the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery (BOBIM) and the Microsurgery Foundation in 1993 as Director, Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary. He later became Chairman of the Victorian Tissue Engineering Centre, Advisor to the Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management and Research, and an Associate of the University of Melbourne Department of Surgery at St Vincent's Hospital. [Return to page 37]

2. Ann Westmore PhD (b. 1953) is an Honorary Fellow in the University of Melbourne Centre for the Study of Health and Society. She is responsible for the conduct of the Witness to the History of Australian Medicine seminar program and the content of the online historical compendium of the University's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, http://www.jnmhugateways.unimelb.edu.au/umfm/. [Return to page 38]

3. According to then Sister Administrator of St Vincent's, Maureen Walters, the hospital had not given approval for the Foundation to seek funds on behalf of the Microsurgery Research Unit.
- Written communication, Maureen Walters to Ann Westmore, March 2005 [Return to page 39]

4. According to Sr Maureen Walters;
The priority of the hospital for the development of research was to seek sufficient funds to replace the existing area allocated for the St Vincent's School of Medical Research with a new building. Sir Robert Menzies had launched an appeal in 1970 but by the late 1970s insufficient funds had been generated to enable this to occur. A new approach to the Government for funds on behalf of the School of Medical Research was being made at the same time as the Foundation was seeking Government financial support for the Microsurgery Research Unit.
- Written communication, Maureen Walters to Ann Westmore, March 2005 [Return to page 39]

5. The Scientific Panel oversaw the complex relationship between Bernard O'Brien and the hospital authorities. It also kept an eye on the financial aspects, “housekeeping” matters and so on.
- Written communication, Keith Henderson to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 39]

6. Another to receive regular phone calls from Bernard O'Brien was Keith Henderson, Chairman of the Microsurgery Research Advisory Committee from about 1983 to 1987;
Every Sunday night between 9.30 and 10pm, Bernard would ring me – for about an hour, floating new ideas, arguing cases for the Microsurgery Unit, soliciting advice on the best tactic with the hospital authorities and generally trying out his ‘sales pitch' on me.
He had difficulty, as did some of his supporters, especially in the Foundation, in understanding that a Unit which was part of the hospital and supported, however uneasily, but which was in a sense removed with its own ambitions and agenda and separate funds from the Foundation, was an ‘in-house' competitor.
This was bound to lead to tensions in the hospital, an organisation which was ultimately controlled solely by the Sister Administrator and the Order of the Sisters of Charity in those days.
The hospital had limited control over Bernard. This was part of the reason for the Microsurgery Research Advisory Committee.
- Written communication, Keith Henderson to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 40]

7. Laurence Macdonald Muir Kt VRD, LLB FSIA FAIM (b.1925) first met Bernard O'Brien in 1941 and 1942 while a student at Scotch College. He served in the Royal Australian Navy, 1942-46 before studying law at the University of Melbourne 1947-49, later becoming a sharebroker and partner in Ian Potter and Co. (subsequently Potter Partners), 1960-80. He joined the Microsurgery Foundation in 1968 and was the second chairman of the Foundation, succeeding Sir William Kilpatrick in 1977. He served in that capacity until 1993 after which he became Patron of the Foundation and Patron of BOBIM. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 41]

8. Joan O'Brien RFN SRN CMB (b.1925) gained triple certificates in infectious disease nursing, general nursing and midwifery in London and Salisbury before meeting Bernard O'Brien at the Odstock Hospital, Salisbury in 1957 where she was the sister second-in-charge of the female plastic ward. She married Bernard O'Brien in 1958 and accompanied him to New York in early 1959 where she worked as a nurse for six months before returning to London for the International Plastic Surgery Congress of 1959 and thence to Australia. Personal communication, Joan O'Brien to Ann Westmore, May 2005 [Return to page 41]

9. Bernard McCarthy (‘Champ') O'Brien AC CMG, BSc MD MS FRCS FRACS FACS(Hon), FRCSEd(Hon) (1924 -1993) studied science and medicine at the University of Melbourne graduating in the latter course in 1950. A leader, not a follower, his fighting spirit was evident early on. His good friend, John Connell, stated that he “possessed not only a rare talent but also huge determination to excel in everything he attempted. His skill, his energy, application and drive lifted him like a champion above ordinary men. His friends say that the best way to get Bernard to do something was to tell him it couldn't be done. Miracles were to be done daily; the impossible achieved on a regular basis.”
After undertaking his residency years and surgical training at St Vincent's Hospital and at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (1951-52) and working as a Demonstrator at the University of Melbourne in Anatomy (1953) and in Clinical Surgery and Histopathology (1954), he obtained a Master of Surgery degree in 1955. Overseas study then beckoned and, with the help of renowned Melbourne plastic surgeon, Benjamin Rank, he obtained a post as Nuffield Assistant in Plastic Surgery at Oxford University 1956-57 working under Pomfret Kilner. Impatient for hands-on experience, he took a post before completing the prescribed training at Oxford as plastic surgery registrar at the Odstock Hospital, Salisbury (1957-58). It was at this time that he met his future wife, Joan, a nursing sister.
In 1959, he sailed to New York where he was made Chief Resident to the Plastic and Reconstructive Service at Roosevelt Hospital, becoming one of the first St Vincent's graduates to gain formal surgical training in the US.
Returning to Melbourne the following year, he started a private surgical practice and was appointed acting assistant plastic surgeon at St Vincent's, an appointment that was not renewed in 1962. Surgeon and historian of surgery at St Vincent's, Ivo Vellar, suggests that “the outspoken, well qualified but critical O'Brien antagonised not only the head of the unit but also the dental surgeon attached to the plastic surgical unit. From 1962 to 1967 O'Brien was in limbo. He did not have a teaching hospital appointment and contented himself by servicing the plastic surgical needs of the Dandenong Hospital and the Gippsland hinterland.”
In 1964 he undertook studies on small blood vessels and nerves in a disused mortuary at St Vincent's that had been converted into a primitive experimental operating theatre using a microscope loaned to him by Professor Crock of the University's Department of Ophthalmology at the Eye and Ear Hospital.
In 1968, he was appointed honorary research assistant in the University of Melbourne Department of Surgery at St Vincent's, Acting Assistant Plastic Surgeon at the hospital, and received a research grant of $2000. The following year, he obtained a number of other grants, the largest being from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to continue his research on experimental anastomosis of small blood vessels and nerves under magnification, thereby helping lay the foundations of clinical microsurgery.
His efforts led to his appointment as head of the St Vincent's Plastic and Microsurgery Unit and Professorial Associate in the University of Melbourne Department of Anatomy in 1983. He was largely responsible for establishing the pioneering Microsurgery Research Unit and its successor organisation, the Microsurgery Research Centre, at St Vincent's (1971-1992). After his death in 1993, the Centre was renamed the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery.
He wrote or co-wrote two classic text-books on microvascular reconstruction, Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery, published by Churchill Livingstone in 1977, and Reconstructive Microsurgery, co-authored with Wayne Morrison, in 1987
Professionally active, he served on the Council of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and as its Vice-President, and as President of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand and of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges.
He also participated in community debate on public health measures, and was one of a group of three influential doctors who appeared on behalf of the Australian Medical Association arguing for the introduction of compulsory seat belt legislation.
During his later years he was recognised as an Honorary Fellow by at least five international surgical colleges, including the American College of Surgeons and was awarded many prestigious prizes. In 1993, shortly before his death, he was awarded the highest honour of the Australasian College of Surgeons, the Sir Hugh Devine Medal, in recognition of his surgical contribution.
See “Bernard O'Brien”, 16th Annual Report of the Microsurgery Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, 1991-93, pp 10-11; “Bernard McCarthy O'Brien, plastic and pioneering microsurgeon” in Ivo Vellar, Surgery and surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne 1950s-2000, Publishing Solutions, 2004, pp 88-94, and Walter Jona, “Remembering who pushed for seat belts”, The Herald, 6 Oct 1989 [Return to page 41]

10. William Kilpatrick KBE (1907 -1985) was a successful businessman who became the first chairman of the Microsurgery Foundation (1970-76). From 1977 until his death in 1985, he was Patron of the Foundation. [Return to page 41]

11. John Keith (‘Keith') Henderson AO, MB BS FRCS FRACS (b.1923) first met Bernard O'Brien in the late 1940s when the latter was brought into St Vincent's Hospital with a sprained ankle on the day of the Intervarsity Championships:
He was virtually carried into the Casualty Department by a group of Newman College stalwarts. I was the medical officer on duty. He commanded me to inject the ankle with local anaesthetic which was unheard of in those days. An hour or two later he won the pole vault and became' the Champ'.
Earlier, in 1946, Henderson graduated in medicine from the University of Melbourne. After completing resident and registrar training, he undertook neurosurgical training at the Nuffield Department of Surgery, Oxford University (1951-54). He was Assistant Neurosurgeon at St Vincent's under Dr Frank Morgan (1955-66), Senior Neurosurgeon (1967-88) and Chairman of the Microsurgery Research Advisory Committee, 1983-87.
– Written communication, Keith Henderson to Ann Westmore, April 2005 and Who's Who in Australia 1988 [Return to page 41]

12. John Leonard Connell AO, MS FRCS FRACS FACS (b.1922) first met Bernard O'Brien in about 1941 at Newman College, the Catholic residential college for male students at the University of Melbourne, and their friendship grew, particularly after graduation. As a member of the St Vincent's Hospital board and the Microsurgery Foundation board from the mid-1970s, he was able to smooth the sometimes troubled waters between them.
His tertiary education started with law at the University of Melbourne in 1940 but after completing two years he decided this career path was not for him. He turned to medicine, graduating in 1947.He was appointed a resident at St Vincent's in 1948 and, after considering a career in orthopaedic surgery, settled on general surgery. He spent 1950 with the Department of Anatomy at the University of Melbourne before training at the West Middlesex Hospital under accomplished surgeon, William John Ferguson. He returned to St Vincent's in 1954 and the following year was appointed honorary surgeon to outpatients, increasingly specialising in vascular surgery.
In 1977 he was appointed a Professorial Associate and, in 1980, foundation head of the hospital's Vascular Surgical Unit, which was one of the first specialist surgical units in Australia to split from general surgery.
In 1983 he was awarded the RACS Medal for services to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, including assistance in formulating the national training program in vascular surgery. He retired in 1987. He was a director of the Microsurgery Foundation for much of the period between 1976 and 1996 which only confirmed his view of Bernard O'Brien as“tenacious. He was a very nice fellow but nothing would get in his way. He was absolutely determined to do what he did. It was part of his nature”
- Personal communication, John Connell to Ann Westmore, March and May 2005, and Ivo Velar, Surgery and surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, 1950s-2000, 2004 [Return to page 41]

13. Gerard W. Crock AO, K StJ, MB BS FRCS FRACS FRACP FRACO (b.1929) was a close friend and medical confidante of Bernard O'Brien for over 40 years. He was a director of the Microsurgery Foundation for much of the period, 1976-96, and was subsequently retained as a member of BOBIM's scientific advisory committee.
As a young man, he started dental training at the University of Western Australia along with his twin brother, Harry Crock. The pair completed two years of the dental course with honours, before applying for entry to the medical course at the University of Melbourne. At the same time, they were accepted as resident students at Newman College. While at Newman in the late 1940s and 1950, Gerard Crock and Bernard O'Brien became friends.
On completing his medical training in 1953, Gerard Crock studied ophthalmology at Moorfields Hospital in London and at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. In 1963 he was appointed the inaugural University of Melbourne Ringland Anderson Professor of Ophthalmology in what was the first autonomous department within the University's Faculty of Medicine and the first ophthalmic academic department in Australia. Simultaneously he was made Director of the Retina Unit at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital where he promptly established a registrar training program. As a result, Melbourne became a leading centre for ophthalmology training in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. He pioneered ophthalmic microsurgery in Australia and made contributions to binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography, vitreo-retinal surgery and corneal grafting techniques.
Around 1965 Bernard O'Brien, who had a thriving surgical practice at 82 Collins Street, introduced Gerard Crock to“… the properties of fascia lata and plantanus tendons [in the leg], which we adapted for the treatment of complicated retinal detachment disease.”
Over subsequent decades the pair and their colleagues in the University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology at the Eye and Ear Hospital and the St Vincent's Hospital Microsurgery Unit developed a strong collaboration: Separated only by Victoria Parade, they frequently visited each other to discuss and implement projects. They were at the forefront of applying new techniques and procedures and made many outstanding research contributions such as the development and testing of the single point corneal cutter, disposable surgical knives for lamellar corneal grafting, and the oscillating knife for corneal and cataract surgery. The collaboration was also crucial to early work on the vitreous infusion suction cutter which completely transformed the management of eye trauma, complicated retinal detachment and diabetic eye disease. Apart from personnel, the Department's strengths lay in the technical capabilities of its bioengineering department and scanning electron microscope department, while the Microsurgery Unit had access to an experimental operating room and animal house.
Gerard Crock only ever assisted Bernard O'Brien in the operating theatre on one occasion. The operation involved reconstructing the severed medial nerve in the right wrist of a 10-year-old boy, the experience reinforcing his view of O'Brien as “imperturbable, thorough and painstaking”. Remarkably, the boy experienced a complete recovery in 12 weeks, about half the normal recovery time.
Gerard Crock was active in professional life, as the first Australian member of the International Council of Ophthalmology and, closer to home, as Chairman of the Senior Medical Staff at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. On his retirement in 1987, he was appointed Emeritus Professor of the University of Melbourne. In 2003, the University's Department of Ophthalmology established a Fellowship in his name which enabled young ophthalmologists to pursue their academic and research interests.
- Personal communication, Gerard Crock to Ann Westmore, May 2005 and Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 41]

14. According to Gerard Crock, Bernie O'Brien had “the most amazing networks of contacts” but was reluctant to say how he developed them: “He jealously guarded the spring of his networking genius.”
- Personal communication Gerard Crock to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 41]

15. Wayne Allan John Morrison AM, MD BS FRACS (b.1943) trained in medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1967. He spent several years as a resident medical officer at St Vincent's before undertaking advanced surgical training at St Vincent's, the Repatriation General Hospital, and Geelong Hospital. He gained a position as Surgical Registrar at the renowned plastic surgery centre at Canniesburn Hospital, Glasgow, before working in Paris at the Institute of Hand Surgery and traveling to the US where he worked on cleft lip and palate surgery at the University of Miami, Florida.
On returning to Australia in 1976, he established a reputation as an outstanding researcher and clinical surgeon while working as Senior Research Fellow in the Microsurgery Research Unit at St Vincent's. He pioneered several surgical procedures and was appointed Deputy Director of the Microsurgery Research Unit in 1984. During the following year he and Bernard O'Brien completed a 50-chapter book, Reconstructive Microsurgery, published in 1986. He was awarded a Melbourne MD in 1987 and was appointed Director of BOBIM in 1993.
He was active in professional societies including the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Asia Pacific Society of Hand Surgery. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 41]

16. The Sisters of Charity, the Catholic order of nuns that founded St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, in 1893, and which has since continued to supervise its operations [Return to page 41]

17. Barry David O'Callaghan AO (b.1936) studied law at the University of Melbourne before joining Corrs Chambers Westgarth (formerly Corrs) as a partner. Since the 1970s he gave legal advice to BOBIM and its predecessor organisations. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 41]

18. Philip Spry-Bailey BSc BE (Civil) MBA (b.1932) studied science and civil engineering at the University of Sydney before working for companies including Mobil and Alcoa. From 1990 to 1996 he was Director and then Chairman of St Vincent's (public hospital), and from 1996 to 2003 he was chairman of the Sisters of Charity Health Service Ltd. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 41]

19. Antony Erling Charlton AM (b.1929) worked in radio and television broadcasting (covering sport, current affairs and events) for over 50 years. He also worked as a fund-raiser for BOBIM for many years, and was a director of the Microsurgery Foundation, 1988-2000
- Written communication, Tony Charlton to Ann Westmore, March 2005 [Return to page 41]

20. J. William Littler, widely regarded as the father of modern hand surgery, developed reconstruction skills during World War II when treating an endless number of survivors with hand injuries. In 1951 he established the first hand surgical service in the US at the Roosevelt Hospital, New York, and went on to develop techniques of tendon repair, finger transplantation and methods to replace the small bones of the wrist [Return to page 42]

21. Ralph Clark MB BS FFARCS FANZCA (b.1924) studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1947. He trained in anaesthesia at the Alfred Hospital and at Oxford University before serving as Foundation Director of Anaesthesia at St Vincent's, 1955-84.
- Personal communication, Ralph Clark to Ann Westmore, March 2004 [Return to page 42]

22. The Plastic Surgery Unit at St Vincent's Hospital was notionally established in 1956 with the appointment of Dick Newing as plastic surgeon to the hospital without rights to beds. An assistant plastic surgeon was appointed in 1961 and, by the end of the decade, the Unit occupied its own ward and had several surgical staff members, including Bernard O'Brien. See Bryan Egan, Ways of a Hospital: St Vincent's Melbourne 1890s-1990s, Allen & Unwin, 1993, pp 237-8 [Return to page 43]

23. Allan Malcolm (‘Sprog') MacLeod MB BS FRACS (1936-2002) studied medicine while training in the Royal Australian Air Force. After completing his junior resident years he worked for the RAAF in Malaysia and Thailand. He then trained in surgery at St Vincent's under Dick Newing and in plastic surgery under Sir Benjamin Rank at the Victorian Plastic Surgery Unit at the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital. In 1970 and 1971, he undertook further training in plastic surgery at St George's Hospital, London and at Shriner's Burn Unit in Boston, developing expertise in reconstruction of the head and neck after cancer surgery.
In 1972, he returned to Melbourne where he worked at St Vincent's under Bernard O'Brien and Dick Newing, and at the Repatriation General Hospital. Among his many contributions to plastic surgery was the development of a technique to overcome the problem of dry eye, which involved transfer of the salivary gland. He authored over 50 scientific papers, mentored many plastic surgeons from around the world, and was a consultant plastic surgeon to the RAAF.
In 1993, he succeeded Bernard O'Brien as head of the Plastic and Microsurgery Unit at St Vincent's, continuing in the role until 2000 when he became head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute.
See Anthony Penington, “Obituary: A/Professor Allan Malcolm MacLeod”, Surgical News, 4, 2, 2003, and ‘Vale Allan MacLeod Plastic Surgeon 1936-2002”, Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery Annual Report 2003/2004 [Return to page 43]

24. See footnote 11 [Return to page 43]

25. A University blue is awarded for sporting achievement. Sir John Eccles, another St Vincent's graduate and a Nobel laureate, also received a blue for pole-vaulting. See http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/eccles.htm#2. [Return to page 43]

26. Richard (‘Dick') Clayton Bennett AM, MB MS FRCS FRACS (b.1930) first met Bernard O'Brien in late 1965, a few months after being appointed the inaugural University of Melbourne Hugh Devine Professor of Surgery at St Vincent's Hospital and shortly before he took up the appointment in January the following year. As a result of the meeting, O'Brien gained a toehold in academic surgery which, in turn, led to success in obtaining research grants to pursue studies in microsurgery.
Earlier, Dick Bennett had trained in medicine at the University of Adelaide, topping both Surgery and Medicine in 1953, his final year. After resident medical officer years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide Children's Hospital, he lectured in Anatomy at the University of Adelaide. He then undertook surgical training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital; the Western Infirmary, Glasgow; and at the General Infirmary of Leeds. In 1962 he returned to the University of Adelaide as a Senior Lecturer in Surgery and gained a Master of Surgery for a thesis on ano-rectal function. In 1965 he was appointed the inaugural University of Melbourne Professor of Surgery at St Vincent's, remaining in the post until his retirement in 1990. Under his leadership, the Department was recognised for its strengths in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, surgical oncology, and the formation of strong links between academic surgery and the surgical profession.
He was active in professional life, serving as President of the Surgical Research Society of Australia, 1970-71; on NHMRC Regional Grant Interviewing Committees; and as an Executive Member of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria. He edited the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery (1975-1990), established the RACS Foundation for education and research, served the College as Honorary Treasurer and Vice-President, and was awarded its Hugh Devine Medal in 1986.
After retirement from the Chair of Surgery at St Vincent's, he was appointed Emeritus Professor by the University, Executive Director for Surgical Affairs by the College (1992-97) and Director of Surgical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute (1995-99). He served as Director of the Sisters of Charity Health Service (1991-99) and was Chairman of its Melbourne Regional Board (1997-99).
- Written communication, Dick Bennett to Ann Westmore, and Chiron, 1991, p 32, and Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 44]

27. This work involved collaboration with Gerard Crock on using leg tendons to treat retinal detachment disease. Crock, the University of Melbourne's Foundation Professor of Ophthalmology, provided O'Brien, his friend from University days, with vital academic, technical and infrastructure support at a time when he was in the academic wilderness. Crock and O'Brien also shared supervision of Bachelor of Medical Science student, David Fonda, who in 1972 undertook studies of applying microsurgery to small vessel anastomoses and scanning electron microscopy of normal aortic endothelium.
- Personal communication, Gerard Crock to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 44]

28. Alphonsus O'Doherty (1895-1983) was Mother Rectress of St Vincent's for two periods, three decades apart. Before entering the Sisters of Charity novitiate she had been a teacher and a nurse. In her first stint, she was appointed Mother Rectress in 1933, at a time when the hospital had large debts and a stymied building program. She overcame these problems and was widely regarded as a strong and successful Mother Rectress by the time she left the position in 1939. Her second period in the job started in 1961and she continued in the role until 1969. See Bryan Egan's Ways of a Hospital: St Vincent's Melbourne 1890s-1990s, op cit [Return to page 44]

29. Crock and O'Brien were at the forefront of developing new microsurgical instruments and microsutures [Return to page 44]

30. John Bryan (‘Bryan') Egan MB BS PhD MA (b.1922) undertook medical training at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1949. He was Clinical Assistant in Medical Out-Patients, 1959-66, and Assistant and then Deputy Medical Superintendent, 1974-82. He retired in 1982, equipped with a University of Melbourne MA, majoring in history. He then undertook a PhD in history at Monash University, and wrote a history of St Vincent's, Ways of a Hospital: St Vincent's Melbourne 1890s-1990s, published in 1993. In the process of writing it, he conducted two interviews with Bernard O'Brien [Return to page 44]

31. William Michael Carmel (‘Bill') Keane AM, MB BS FRACMA (1919-2002) was involved in medical administration at St Vincent's for 35 years. After training in medicine at the University of Melbourne (graduating, 1943), he was a junior resident at St Vincent's (1943) prior to serving with the RAAF as a Flight Lieutenant (Med) 1944-46. In 1947 he resumed work at St Vincent's as a registrar and, in the same year he was appointed Medical Superintendent, a post he held until his retirement in 1982.
In 1983, he was appointed Medical Director of the Caritas Christi Hospice, Kew, having served as medical officer to it, 1959-82.
Active in medical and nursing affairs, he served on the Federal Council of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators, 1974-79 and was its Honorary Treasurer (1974-78). He was also President of the Association of Medical Superintendents of Victorian Hospitals (1959 and 1979), a Member of the Medical Board of Victoria's Hospital Accreditation Committee (1973-82), and a Member of the Victorian State Committee of the College of Nursing Australia 1960-65. In addition, he served as a medical surveyor with the Australian Council on Health Care Standards.
See Who's Who in Australia 1988, and Obituaries by Bryan Egan in The Quarterly, Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators, and by Bernard Clarke, The Age, 1 February 2003 [Return to page 44]

32. Sydney Sunderland KtCMG, DSc MD MBBS FRACP FAA (1910-1993) was, at the time University of Melbourne Dean of Medicine (1953-71) and Professor of Experimental Neurology (1961-75). For more complete biographical details see his entry in the University of Melbourne Historical Compendium of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, http://www.jnmhugateways.unimelb.edu.au/umfm/. [Return to page 44]

33. The St Vincent's Electoral College was a committee comprising Hospital and University representatives, charged with the job of selecting and appointing senior medical staff [Return to page 44]

34. Maurice Rossie Ewing CBE, MB ChB MSc MD(Hons) FRCS FRACS (1912-1999) was an Edinburgh-trained surgeon and senior lecturer at the Hammersmith Postgraduate Medical School (1947-55) who was the University of Melbourne's first professor of surgery, appointed in 1955. Initially he was based at the Alfred Hospital where he was allocated a surgical unit. He also maintained a sub-unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He was an inaugural member of the Monash University Council and took part in discussions that decided the Alfred and Prince Henry's Hospitals would be linked to the Monash Medical School. He left the Alfred in 1962, continuing as Professor of Surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital until his retirement in 1977. For more complete biographical details see his entry in the University of Melbourne Historical Compendium of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, http://www.jnmhugateways.unimelb.edu.au/umfm/. [Return to page 45]

35. Peter Neil Henderson MBBS DO FRACS FANZCO (b.1939) studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1963, and undertook training as an ophthalmologist. After gaining an honorary appointment in the University Department of Surgery at St Vincent's Hospital, he conducted innovative experimental work in microscopic surgery. He subsequently authored or co-authored a number of papers on new techniques and tools in microscopic surgery. As a result of this appointment he worked with Bernard O'Brien who encouraged him in his research.
- Personal communication Peter Henderson to Ann Westmore, March 2005 [Return to page 45]

36. Thelma Baxter PhD was a histopathologist at St Vincent's and a lecturer and tutor in the University of Melbourne Department of Pathology [Return to page 45]

37. The Microsurgery Foundation was established in 1970 to raise funds for microsurgery research at St. Vincent's. In the mid-1980s it was described as assisting the Microsurgery Research Unit “through difficult periods, providing microscopes and other funds for research. Though these funds were limited they were vital to the survival of the Unit”. 9th Annual Report of the Microsurgery Research Unit, St Vincent's Hospital, 1984-85, p 17 [Return to page 45]

38. In 1980, the NHMRC recommended the establishment of a Microsurgery Research Advisory Committee to give advice on the scientific organisation of projects conducted by members of the St Vincent's Microsurgery Unit. Bernard O'Brien reported back to the NHMRC that a scientific panel had been selected to give constructive comments on all research proposals. The advisory group included Professor R.D. Wright, Professor Graeme Ryan, Dr Ian McKenzie and Dr John Ludbrook. [Return to page 45]

39. Between 1969 and 1976, 44 surgeons worked as Fellows in the Unit for periods of two months or more, 23 of them from Australian hospitals. The remaining 21 had come from the US, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy, West Germany, Israel, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. First Annual Report of the St Vincent's Microsurgery Research Unit, 1976 [Return to page 45]

40. Stella Maris Williams (b. 1935) trained in nursing, specialising in midwifery and plastic surgery before becoming laboratory manager in the St Vincent's Microsurgery Unit 1977 to 1991 [Return to page 46]

41. The Sister Administrator for much of the relevant period was Sr Maureen Walters RSC RN Dip Nursing Admin BHealth Admin (b.1931). Sr Walters was Director of Nursing at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, 1970-71 and Sister Administrator, 1972-87. She was Deputy Director of Nursing at the NSW Prison Medical Service, Long Bay, 1987-89; Sister Administrator of St Vincent's Hospital, Launceston, 1990-91 and its CEO, 1992-97; and Director of the National Board of the Sisters of Charity Health Service,1997-2004 [Return to page 46]

42. Barbara Cytowicz, BA(Hons) Grad Dip Info Mgt (b.1961) was appointed Archivist at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne in 2001 [Return to page 46]

43. Edward ‘Weary' Dunlop AC CMG OBE, MB MS FRCS FRACS FACS (1907-1993) qualified as a pharmacist in 1928 before embarking on a medical degree at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1934. In 1938 he went to London to do postgraduate medical studies. These studies were cut short by the outbreak of World War II and, in 1939, he enlisted. He served in North Africa, Crete and Greece before commanding a hospital for war casualties in Java in 1942. Captured by the Japanese, he was imprisoned in Changi Prisoner of War camp, Singapore, and was deployed to help build the infamous Burma Railway. On his return to Australia after the war, he resumed his surgical career and became an inaugural member of the board of the Microsurgery Foundation. He remained a director of the Foundation from 1976 until 1990 [Return to page 47]

44. This person was paediatric surgeon, Earl Ronald Owen AO, MB BS FRCS FRACS (b.1933 ), who was Bernard O'Brien's great competitor in Sydney [Return to page 48]

45. Robert Vincent Monohan Kt, LLB (1898-1975) was a Victorian Supreme Court Justice 1955-70. He was among the first intake of Newman College students in 1918 and completed his legal training at the University of Melbourne [Return to page 48]

46. Alan David Skurrie Bcom (b.1917) served in the 2nd AIF during World War II before developing a successful business career, holding senior positions with Perpetual Trustees, Mayne Nickless, Hambro Aust, Amcor, Sands and McDougall, Zurich Aust. Ins. , Hongkong Bank, Hoyts and Cadbury Schweppes. He was Chairman of the Microsurgery Foundation from 1985 to 1990. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 50]

47. Ronald Joseph Walker AO CBE (b.1939), Joint Managing Director of Hudson Conway Ltd., has been Chairman of the Microsurgery Foundation since 1991. Highlights of a wide-ranging career in business, the arts, sport, and politics include Lord Mayor of Melbourne 1974-76 and Federal Treasurer of the Liberal Party. See Who's Who in Australia 1998 [Return to page 50]

48. Rupert ‘Dick' Hamer AC KCMG, ED LLM FAIM (1916-2004) developed outstanding management skills during World War II when he served as a Rat of Tobruk, as well as in El Alamein, New Guinea and Normandy and rose to the rank of Major. In 1958 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council and in 1971 he moved to the Legislative Assembly. He served in a number of ministerial positions before becoming Premier of Victoria, 1972-81. The meeting referred to occurred on 26 April 1978. The Premier agreed to provide $150,000 on a dollar for dollar basis for a building to house a Microsurgical Research Unit over the following two financial years. The building was to incorporate structural foundations capable of taking additional storeys for any future development. See Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 50]

49. The Department of Anaesthesia at St Vincent's Hospital was established in 1955 under the leadership of Dr Ralph Clark [Return to page 51]

50. Vilim (‘Bill') Stanisich MB BS DA FFARCSI FFARCS FFARACS was Senior Anaesthetist , St Vincent's Hospital and Barwon Health Clinical School at the time of the Witness seminar [Return to page 52]

51. James Angus BSc PhD FAA (b.1949) trained in pharmacology at the University of Sydney before undertaking research for a PhD on the effects of drugs on blood vessels at the the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He continued this line of study in Melbourne at the Baker Medical Research Institute and then at University College London and the Wellcome Research Laboratories in England under eminent pharmacologist, Sir James Black, who went on to win a Nobel Prize. He continued his research at the Baker Institute during the 1980s, and in 1990 became its Deputy Director. In 1992 he was appointed to a Personal Chair in Pharmacology at Monash University where he added to his prolific research output. He moved to the University of Melbourne to head its Pharmacology Department in 1993 and in 2002 he was appointed Deputy Dean of the University's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. In mid-2003, he became Dean, with more than 200 refereed journal papers and reviews to his name. Among many professional activities, he served as a Director of the Microsurgery Foundation from 1998 to 2003. See also Who's Who in Australia 2003 and the University of Melbourne Historical Compendium of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, http://www.jnmhugateways.unimelb.edu.au/umfm/. [Return to page 52]

52. For example, Rao V and Angus JA (1983), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 17, pp 241-247; and Knight KR, Angus JA et al (1991), Journal of Surgical Research, 50, pp 119-123 [Return to page 52]

53. The Bernard O'Brien Society is a society of alumni who trained in microsurgery at St Vincent's in Melbourne. It was fostered by Dr Jim Steichen of Indianapolis, a 1975 Fellow who later became an eminent US hand surgeon. It met regularly from 1983 [Return to page 53]

54. Federal Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer [Return to page 54]

55. Roger Valentine Short BVSc MSc PhD ScD FRS FRSE FRCVS FAA (b.1930) formerly Professor of Reproductive Biology at Monash University and, at the time of the seminar, Wexler Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology [Return to page 54]

56. The clamp was devised by Dr Peter Henderson and manufactured by the Melbourne firm, Micro-Fine Surgical Equipment. [Return to page 54]

57. Bruce Treagus (b.1952) learned the skills of designing and making engines for model planes from his father, a tool-maker. Later, as a young adult, he started repairing and manufacturing instruments which led to work with Dr Harry Ross at the Royal Melbourne Hospital who developed the kidney preservation fluid known as Ross Perfusion Fluid. These experiences led to him learning to become a perfusionist, which entailed running the Heart Lung Machine for Open Heart Surgery and associated limb perfusion as required.
In 1977, he established a business repairing instruments and shortly afterwards was introduced to Bernie O'Brien who asked him if he could repair his microsurgical instruments. His first attempts were not entirely successful;
…after a short phone conversation I went over to his rooms in Victoria Parade and picked them (his broken microsurgical instruments) up. His only instructions were ‘Take care of my Micro Vaness Scissors, and I would like your invoice for the repairs to be large and bold'.
“I didn't know what to make of these instructions but off I went having never repaired a micro instrument before. Well I unclipped his scissors, and not knowing how delicate they were broke them in half at the hinge…After a night of being annoyed at myself for not showing the finesse required, I owned up to what had happened and replaced the instrument at my own expense.
From there, his skills in Micro Instrument repairs grew, while also working as a perfusionist at St Vincent's.“I owe this to Bernie O'Brien and his trust in my capabilities at the time.
- Written communication, Bruce Treagus to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 54]

58. Ginch Brothers were surgical instrument-makers located in Alma Rd. Caulfield [Return to page 54]

59. By the mid-1970s, members of the Microsurgery Research Unit were studying the transfer of flaps of tissue including fingers, toes, muscle, joints, corneas and bone. Of 100 digits replanted to the end of 1975, 70% survived, with the best results achieved in children needing replantation of a thumb or index finger [Return to page 54]

60. Michael Hickey BSc(Hons) PhD (b.1964) trained in science at the University of Melbourne before undertaking his PhD at BOBIM and the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Professor John Hurley. From 1996 to 1999 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary in Canada and from 2000 to 2001 he was Senior Research Officer at the Baker Institute. In 2001 he moved to the Monash University Department of Medicine at the Monash Medical Centre to continue his research career.
- Personal communication, Michael Hickey to Ann Westmore, March 2004 [Return to page 54]

61. Kenneth Ross Knight BSc(Hons) PhD FACB FAACB FRCPath (b.1949) studied science at Monash University before completing a PhD in the biochemistry of arthritis. He subsequently gained further research experience in extracellular matrix biology at the Bristol Royal Infirmary; University College, Cardiff; and the University of Manchester before returning to Melbourne and joining BOBIM in April 1982, where he subsequently conducted microvascular and tissue engineering research. In 1992 he was appointed Principal Scientist in the Chemical Pathology Department at St Vincent's. Three years later, he resumed full-time research at BOBIM. He has written a short (unpublished) history of research at BOBIM from 1975 to 1994
- Written communication, Ken Knight to Ann Westmore, May 2005 [Return to page 55]

62. Margaret (‘Maggie') Niall MSc MPH RD APD (b.1939) worked to fulfill Bernard O'Brien's aim of “getting some science into the microsurgery” at St Vincent's, 1977-81. A Master of Science graduate in physiology and biochemistry from the University of Melbourne, she worked at the Royal Children's Hospital under Professor Don Cheek and in the hospital's paediatric surgery department, with a research focus on growth and development. On joining the St Vincent's microsurgery team in 1977 she was involved in a number of research projects involving growth factors in wound healing and nerve regeneration, and the effects of prostaglandins in vascular reperfusion. She carried out this research in the St Vincent's Hospital biochemical research laboratories established by Dr Pehr Edman and run by Dr Frank Morgan.
She left the microsurgery unit to complete a clinical dietetics course, and worked as a research dietitian with Professor Kerin O'Dea and subsequently as Nutrition Manager at Cabrini Hospital for 5 years. In the late 1980s, she trained in Public Health at UC Berkeley and subsequently set up the Nutrition course at Monash Medical School.
- Personal communication, Maggie Niall to Ann Westmore, May 2005 [Return to page 55]

63. Mary Gemma (‘Gemma') Nightingale MSc BA DipVisArts (b.1950) undertook training in the University of Melbourne Pathology Department under John Hurley before working as a Research Officer in the Microsurgical Research Unit, 1976-83. She conducted experimental microsurgery as well as scanning electron microscopy on tissue anastomosis in Professor Crock's Department at the Eye and Ear Hospital. Her enduring memories of Mr O'Brien are of his short-sightedness and tendency to have lots of pieces of paper in his pockets . “I found him wonderful to work with; he didn't interfere and left me to do my own thing.” After leaving the Unit she worked for a time at the Children's Hospital before following a career in fine art based in Lancefield. As a result of her work in microsurgery she says much of her sculpture and painting has a pronounced vascular look.
- Personal communication Gemma Nightingale to Ann Westmore, June 2005 [Return to page 55]

64. Hugh Niall (b.1937) MD, FRCP trained in medicine at the University of Melbourne before pursuing a career in medical research in the United States and Australia. Since mid-2003 he has been CEO of the National Stem Cell Centre at Monash University [Return to page 55]

65. Thomas John (‘Jack') Martin AO, MD DSc FRACP FRCPA (b.1937) has long-standing research interests in metabolic bone diseases, bone and tumour cell biology and the mechanisms and actions of hormones secreted by cancers that damage the skeleton. He was appointed the University of Melbourne Foundation Professor of Medicine at the Repatriation General Hospital in 1977 and joined the consultative scientific panel overseeing microsurgery at St Vincent's in 1985. In 1987 he was appointed Professor of Medicine at St Vincent's and he was Director of the St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, 1988-2002. See Who's Who in Australia 1988 and http://www.svimr.unimelb.edu.au/tjmbiog.htm. [Return to page 55]

66. Repatriation General Hospital, Heibelberg [Return to page 55]

67. Geraldine Mitchell MSc PhD DipEd (b.1953) specialised in morphology at the University of Melbourne before joining the Microsurgical Research Unit in 1982. She conducted surgical experiments and investigated damage to large blood vessels in trauma-related injuries and vascular grafting procedures, and consequent repair mechanisms using light microscopy as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. At the time of the Witness seminar, she was a Senior Research Scientist in BOBIM's Vascular Biology Group with a particular interest in new blood vessel growth as applied in tissue engineering projects. One of her first research publications was Mitchell GM, Frykman GK et al (1986), “The nature and extent of histopathological injury in human avulsed arteries and veins and in experimentally avulsed monkey arteries”, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 78, pp. 801-810
- Personal communication, Geraldine Mitchell to Ann Westmore, July 2005 [Return to page 55]

68. Aurora Messina BSc PhD (b.1960) started work at BOBIM as a Research Officer. At the time of the Witness seminar she was a Research Fellow part-time
- Personal communication, Aurora Messina to Ann Westmore, June 2005 [Return to page 55]

69. John Hurley PhD MD FRCPA FRCP (1921-2000) brought a knowledge of fluid loss and tissue swelling in inflamed and injured small blood vessels to the Microsurgery Research Centre when he joined it as a part-time consultant pathologist in 1987. He had training in medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1944, and spent a year as a junior resident at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) before joining the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). After serving in North Borneo from 1945-47, he returned to Australia and was appointed Surgical Assistant at the RMH in 1948. But he was forced to abandon plans of a surgical career when he experienced a recurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis acquired during his time in the RAAF. He decided instead to pursue a career in pathology and served as Assistant Pathologist at the RMH from1950-52, at the same time accepting a research position in the University of Melbourne Department of Pathology.
Having recovered from his illness, he was appointed Stewart Lecturer in Pathology at the University in 1955, Senior Researcher in 1957, and Reader in 1965. In the meantime he gained experience in experimental pathology in Britain as the 1959-60 Nuffield Travelling Fellow, working under Sir Roy Cameron at University College Hospital, London. It was at this time that he developed his interest in acute inflammation and became an international authority on normal and injured small blood vessels. In 1981, he was appointed Professor of Pathology at the University of Melbourne, and the following year his teaching skills were recognised when he was appointed Assistant Dean (Preclinical) in the Faculty of Medicine. He retired from his university appointments in 1986. 11th Annual Report of the Microsurgery Research Centre at St Vincent's Hospital, 1987, p 3 [Return to page 55]

70. See Morrison WA, Dvir E et al (1990), “Prefabrication of thin transferable axial-pattern skin flaps: An experimental study in rabbits”, British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 43 , pp 645-654 and Morrison WA, Penington AJ et al (1997), “Clinical applications and technical limitations of prefabricated flaps”, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, 99, 378-385 [Return to page 56]

71. See Lokmic Z, Idrizi R et al (2004), “Vascularization of engineered constructs” in Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 1750-1759 [Return to page 56]

72. The grant for a project titled “Generation of vascularised bioengineered soft tissue” was awarded for 2001 to 2003 at $147,500 per annum. The Chief Investigators were Wayne Morrison, Ken Knight, Tony Penington and Aurora Messina [Return to page 56]

73. For early research on this topic at BOBIM see Tanaka Y, Tsutsumi A et al (2000), “Generation of an autologous tissue (matrix) flap by combining an arteriovenous shunt loop with artificial skin in rats: preliminary report”, British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 53, pp 51-57 and Mian R, Morrison WA et al (2000), “Formation of new tissue from an arteriovenous loop in the absence of added extracellular matrix,”, Tissue Engineering, 6, pp 595-603 [Return to page 57]

74. Sue McKay (b.1954) completed Certificates in Applied Science (Animal Technician and Laboratory Technician) in the early 1970s before joining the Experimental Medical and Surgical Unit (EMSU) at St Vincent's in 1973. From 1979-1985 she worked in Houston, Texas, teaching microsurgery techniques and assisting with experimental surgery. She returned to St Vincent's in the mid-1980s and became Manager of the EMSU
- Personal communication, Sue McKay to Ann Westmore, March 2004 [Return to page 58]

75. See Knight KR, Kawabata H et al (1991), “Prostacyclin and prostanoid modifiers aid ischemic skin flap survival”, Journal of Surgical Research, 50, pp 119-123 and Knight KE, Lepore DA, O'Brien BMcC (1991), “Interrelationships between prostanoids and skin flap survival: a review”, Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids, 44, pp 195-200 [Return to page 58]

76. See Kumar PAV, MacLeod AM et al (1990), “Microvascular submaxillary gland transfer for the management of xerophthalmia – an experimental study”, British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 43, pp 431-436 and Kumar PA, Hickey MJ et al (1991), “Long term results of submandibular gland transfer for the management of xerophthalmia”, British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 44, pp 506-508 [Return to page 58]

77. Lindsay Edward Fox AO (b.1937) started the Linfox Group with one truck in 1965. He was Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Fox Group Holdings Pty Ltd. Which, by 1988, employed 2500 people. He has been a board member of numerous companies and appeals, and chairman of many committees. He was Victorian of the Year in 1993. See Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 60]

78. One of Melbourne's oldest private clubs [Return to page 60]

79. The dinner dance was held in December 1984 and raised $160,000 towards the estimated $1 million needed to build and maintain the new building. The guest speaker, John Cain, Premier of Victoria, remarked that “One million dollars is easy to say, but try raising it!” During the evening, the Premier presented a cheque for $100,000 on behalf of the Victorian Government which enabled the Foundation to finalise payment of the building [Return to page 60]

80. Joseph E. Murray MD FACS, a Boston plastic and reconstructive surgeon, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1990 for work on kidney transplantation. He was an official guest at the 21st anniversary celebrations of the Foundation in 1991 [Return to page 60]

81. John Connell's eulogy was the basis of an Obituary for Bernard O'Brien published in the 16th Annual Report of the Microsurgery Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, 1991-93, pp 10-11 [Return to page 62]

82. Mark “Chopper” Read gained notoriety in the 1970s as a notorious hitman and self-confessed murderer. While serving a lengthy prison term he organised to have his ears cut off to facilitate his transfer from Pentridge Prison's H Division. [Return to page 63]

83. The anguish stemmed from Bernard O'Brien's view:
… that he had the right to apply for support from many philanthropic bodies (and succeed) in competition with the hospital which, for years, had been the recipient of donations on a regular basis from them. This lead to recurrent friction between the Microsurgery Unit and the hospital authorities and particularly with the Chairman of the St Vincent's Advisory Council (nowadays the Board ) 1965-88, Mr Grevor Molyneux and the CEO of the Hospital, Mr E.W. Radcliffe Grace.
- Personal communication, Keith Henderson to Ann Westmore, April 2005 [Return to page 63]

84. For example, Federal Health Minister, Rex Hunt visited the institute in 1976 and the following year, State Health Minister, Vasey Houghton, took the opportunity to visit the research unit and examine patients [Return to page 64]

85. Liliana Pepe (b.1955) completed an Associate Diploma of Animal Technology prior to joining the St Vincent's surgical research theatre and animal holding facilities at 44 Fitzroy Street (now the Experimental Medical and Surgical Department) in 1979. Ever since, she has assisted and trained Microsurgery Fellows in microsurgical techniques [Return to page 64]

86. Leon Michael L'Huillier Bcom(Hon) Mphil MBA FAIM (b. 1943) gained broad experience as a senior executive and non-executive director of major organizations in the automotive, retailing, transport, logistics and property fields from the 1970s. He was Chief General Manager of the Victorian Department of Health, 1985-88 and became a Director of the Microsurgery Foundation in 1991. See Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 65]

87. Margaret Anne Jackson AC, Bec MBA (b.1953) studied economics at Monash University before joining Price Waterhouse & Co. She later became a partner in the accounting firm, BDO Nelson Parkhill, and in 1983 joined the board of Telecom Australia. She held directorships with major companies and was appointed chairman of the Transport Accident Commission in 1993 and, subsequently, Chairman of Qantas. See Who's Who in Australia 2000 [Return to page 65]

88. Yoshio Tanaka MD PhD (b.1952) worked at BOBIM from 1996 to 1998 as a clinical and research fellow. Since leaving BOBIM he has continued his experimental studies in microsurgery and, as head of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Shinko Hospital, Japan, he has developed a specialty in craniofacial surgery. He credits Bernard O'Brien with giving him the courage and opportunities to do microsurgery. One of his most vivid recollections of his time at BOBIM was the occasion in September 1997 when he was on duty and became part of the team of “multicultural microsurgeons from Australia, Japan, Canada and India” that saved the face of a Shepparton woman after her scalp/face was avulsed in an accident.
- Written communication, Yoshio Tanaka to Ann Westmore, July 2005 [Return to page 66]

89. According to ophthalmologist, Peter Henderson, the idea originated with Professor Gerard Crock and was developed in the University Department of Ophthalmology by staff including engineer, Ljubomir Pericic, and technical officer S.P.M. Zadar. Mr R. Last of the Melbourne firm, Micro-Fine Surgical Equipment, was engaged to manufacture the 28 micron suture which was found suitable for the repair of blood vessels 0.8mm in diameter.
- Personal communication, Peter Henderson to Ann Westmore. See also B Mc C O'Brien, P N Henderson and G W Crock (1970), “Metallized Microsutures”, Medical Journal of Australia, I, pp 717-719 [Return to page 68]

90. Ophthalmologists used fine stands of silk for sutures for many years. Nylon, Dacron and stainless steel wire of various diameters were also used as suture material. See David Fonda's University of Melbourne B Med Sci thesis, “The Applications of Microsurgery to Small Vessel Anastomoses and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Normal Aortic Endothelium”, 1972, p 17. A brief review of the literature on microvascular surgery and a technique of microvascular repair of vessels approximately 1mm in diameter used at St Vincent's can be found in O'Brien B McC, Henderson PN et al (1970), “Microvascular Surgical Technique”, Medical Journal of Australia, I, p 722 [Return to page 68]

91. See Jean-Marie Parel, G.W. Crock et al (1970), “ Prototypal Electro-Microsurgical Instruments”, Medical Journal of Australia, I, pp 709-714 for a description of prototypes of a group of electronically automated instruments developed for use in microsurgery in Melbourne [Return to page 68]

92. Professor Tso-Yao Shen from the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at Beijing Jishutain Hospital, Beijing, PR China [Return to page 68]

93. Professor Shen spent a year in Melbourne at the Microsurgery Research Centre as a Visiting Fellow in 1984-85 [Return to page 68]

94. See footnote 9 [Return to page 68]

95. Bruce B. Shafiroff MD FACS spent 1978 as a Microsurgery Fellow with Bernard O'Brien before returning to the US and gaining certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery as a plastic, reconstructive and hand surgeon. At the time of the seminar he was practising with the CNY Institute for Peripheral Nerve Surgery in New York [Return to page 68]

96. John Michael Haddad AO AM, FAIM FCIA has enjoyed a distinguished career in the hospitality and tourism industries including appointments as Managing Director of Australian National Hotels Ltd, Chairman of the Australian Tourist Commission, and Chairman of the Sir John Monash Business Centre. He joined the Board of the Microsurgery Foundation in the early 1980s and, at the time of the Witness Seminar, was Deputy Chairman of BOBIM's Board of Directors [Return to page 69]

97. The tissue engineering model developed by BOBIM consisted of a rigid chamber buried under the skin which was filled with a carefully-selected tissue matrix and a blood vessel loop created micosurgically from neighbouring vessels. Over a four to six-week period, tissue was grown inside the chamber in a predetermined shape that matched the shape of the desired tissue, for example nose, ear or breast [Return to page 69]

98. The International Symposium on Contemporary Microsurgery, held at BOBIM, 13-14 February 1996 [Return to page 70]

99. Alastair George Stewart MSc PhD (b.1958) graduated top of pharmacology at the University of Melbourne in 1980 them completed a PhD on “Mechanisms of bronchial hyperreactivity to histamine”, graduating 1984. He undertook postdoctoral studies in the Hunterian Institute, Royal College of Surgeons, London, before joining the research staff of the University of Melbourne Department of Physiology. He was Chief Scientist at BOBIM, 1992-96, and Senior Associate University of Melbourne Department of Physiology, 1995-98 and an Associate in the University's Department of Pharmacology.
In 1998 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology and in 2000 he co-founded Cryptopharma Pty Ltd, a biotechnology start-up company developing novel anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory drugs. In 1993 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Pharmacology.
- Written communication Alastair Stewart to Ann Westmore, February 2005 [Return to page 71]

100. Bruce Earnest Kemp BAgSci(Hons) PhD FAA FRS (b. 1947) was appointed Deputy Director of the St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and Senior Principal Research Fellow (National Health and Medical Research Council) in 1989. His background was in clinical and research biochemistry, with a special interest in protein biochemistry [Return to page 71]

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