In 1909, when the heroic period of Polar Exploration was in full swing, parties venturing to the Polar Regions particularly to the Antarctic were totally isolated. Medical knowledge and resources compared to now were basic to say the least. Over and above this communication with the outside world was virtually non-existent but for the Morse code which was not always entirely reliable. In 1909, when Mawson journeyed to the South Magnetic Pole knowledge of vitamins, antibiotics and vascular infusion techniques, all now commonplace, were in the future. All has now changed and the sheer immensity of the changes in medical knowledge and in communication is the subject of this presentation. The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions which evolved from Mawson's pioneering efforts have been at the forefront of these changes. Expeditioners now are safe in the knowledge that help is readily at hand both at their bases and in Australia.

Basil Kilvington, son of the Rev. James Kilvington, was born in Hartlepool in the North of England on August 6th. 1877. His schooling began in Greenock but in 1888, when he was eleven, the family migrated to Victoria where he attended Camberwell Anglican Boys’ Grammar School which had been founded just two years earlier. He must have been a bright and capable student because in 1893, when barely sixteen, he matriculated in the Faculty of Medicine of Melbourne University and graduated M.B., B.S. in 1898 at aged 21.He became a resident medical officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital but retained an interest in teaching and research as a tutor at Trinity College. His academic leaning is reflected in his being awarded M.D. in 1901 and M.S. in 1902. Thereafter he had a distinguished career as both a surgeon and researcher particularly in the field of neurology and nerve regeneration.When he died in 1947 aged 70 the obituaries by Sir Albert Coates and others all bear fulsome testimony to a remarkable man. Above all he was a thinker and a man of great compassion and gentleness both in his surgical technique as well as his dealings with his fellow man. He was one of the College’s Founding Fathers and perhaps deserves better recognition.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of SurgeryVolume 56, Issue 1 p. 1-2 A TRIBUTE TO SIR EDWARD HUGHES J.P. Masterton, J.P. Masterton Alfred Hospital Commercial Road, Prahran, Vic. 3181Search for more papers by this author J.P. Masterton, J.P. Masterton Alfred Hospital Commercial Road, Prahran, Vic. 3181Search for more papers by this author First published: January 1986 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-2197.1986.tb01809.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume56, Issue1January 1986Pages 1-2 RelatedInformation

Fifty-one patients who had suffered blunt abdominal trauma were assessed clinically and with diagnostic peritoneal lavage. The latter has been shown to be a safe, accurate means of determining the presence or absence of haemoperitoneum. Furthermore, in patients with disturbed conscious states, the initial clinical assessment has been found to be inaccurate and the performance of diagnostic peritoneal lavage has resulted in a statistically significant increase in diagnostic accuracy (P = 0.006). However, in patients with a normal conscious state, the improvement in diagnostic accuracy achieved by the performance of diagnostic peritoneal lavage was not statistically significant. The technique of diagnostic peritoneal lavage is discussed in detail.

In the initial clinical experience using the EEA stapler in twenty patients there were no instances of anastomotic leakage in five patients undergoing sigmoid colectomy and partial upper rectal excision or high anterior resection of the rectum. There were five Instances of confirmed anastomotic leakage (radiological or autopsy) of fifteen patients undergoing low anterior resection of the rectum. Benign anastomotic stenosis developed In three patients. The technique of anastomosis after low anterior resection remains a challenge and there is no justification lor less stringent training in hand sewn anastomoses because of the introduction of the EEA stapler.

An extensive battery of multi-choice psychology tests was administered to Monash Unversity medical students in 1975. Respondents were classified by sex, year and achievement level. Significant differences in parameters of psychological adaptation were detected when students in the three different achievement groups were compared. In general, the low achievers were more depressed and anxious, and less extroverted and empathic than their colleagues. In addition, their own assessment of their mental health was lower than that of their colleagues. They also tended to study less actively, were more prone to avoid the study of core material and derived less gratification overall from the medical course. It is suggested that underachievement in medical students is a danger signal connoting psychological difficulties and that under-achievers constitute a potentially under-counselled group. Counselling facilities should be sufficiently comprehensive to deal with the problems outlined as it is unlikely that this particular set of observations is unique to the group studied who happened to be medical students. The lesson is there for all faculties.

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 1, Issue 3 p. 96-96 Leading Article BURNS—DISASTER AND CHALLENGE J. P. Masterton, J. P. MastertonSearch for more papers by this author J. P. Masterton, J. P. MastertonSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1980 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1980.tb134671.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume1, Issue3February 1980Pages 96-96 RelatedInformation

Resection of the rectum was performed in 1395 patients. There were 94 (6.7 per cent) operative deaths. The operative mortality was similar in the three types of excision. Mortality was high in the male, in the older age groups and in those having palliative resection. Cardiopulmonary complications and sepsis were the two chief causes of the operative deaths.

Summary  A personal series (E.S.R.H.) of 37 patients with inflammatory bowel disease, treated by colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis 15 years or more ago, is reviewed. Twenty-one patients (57 per cent) continue to be in satisfactory condition. Patients subjected to the two-stage operation have a notably lower rate of conversion to ileostomy than those treated by one-stage colectomy. One patient developed a carcinoma of the rectal stump. This 15-year review leads support to the opinion that ileorectal anastomosis has an important place in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

There may be technical difficulties in the use of recommended clamp for the insertion of the purse-string suture during the construction of an end-to-end staple anastomosis. Hand sewing the purse string eliminates some of the problems, but unless the suture is positioned within a few millimetres of the cut edge of the bowel, ischaemic tissue may be included in the staple line. In dogs, this leads to anastomotic dehiscence. The anastomosis may, however, be protected by excising the ischaemic tissue and reinforcing the staple line with sutures. An "over and over" purse-string technique is now preferred to minimize the risk of this occurring.

A prospective survey has been made of 81 patients with flame burns who were admitted to the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, in the years 1973 and 1974. Young males who got burnt in and around their homes were most frequently encountered. Indications of the importance of predisposing conditions, flammable liquids and apparel in the burn incidents are discussed together with the need for extension of the survey.

Stapling instruments for gastrointestinal surgery are relatively new in the surgical armamentarium of Australian surgeons. In an attempt to assess their safety and handling characteristics laboratory experience has been obtained in dogs. This has shown that these instruments are effective and easily handled, although costly in routine use. It seems likely that they will provide an appropriate alternative to certain conventional anastomotic techniques.

In a large series of patients with carcinoma of the sigmoid colon and rectum there was a delay in diagnosis due to misinterpretation of the physical signs in 36 cases (2.3%). The causes of the misdiagnosis were haemorrhoids, radiological misinterpretation, and chronic inflammatory disease. A miscellaneous variety completed the series. A study of the survival of those patients in whom there was a delay in diagnosis shows that it is most unlikely that it actually affected adversely the prognosis of these patients.

A controlled prospective clinical trial of cephaloridine chemoprophylaxis in resection of the large intestine was undertaken between 1974 and 1978. Data were available on 159 of 177 unselected patients. All were operated on by one surgeon. Three groups were studied: intraabdominal resection and anastomosis (102 patients); pullthrough resection and anastomosis (30 patients): and resection, with colostomy or ileostomy, without anastomosis (27 patients). In the total patient series cephaloridine reduced wound infection from 38.3% to 15.4% (P less than 0.003). There was no significant decrease in intraabdominal infection. In the group of patients undergoing intraabdominal resection and anastomosis the would infection rate was reduced from 40.0% to 14.9% (P less than 0.01). Cephaloridine reduced wound infection from 50.0% to 21.4% (P = 0.05) in those patients in whom drainage tubes were inserted. A decrease in the incidence of faecal fistula from 10.9% to 4.3% was not significant. Wound infections were not reduced significantly after pullthrough excisions or resections without anastomosis. The results support the routine prophylactic use of cephalosporins in patients undergoing intraabdominal resection of the large intestine with anastomosis.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of SurgeryVolume 49, Issue 4 p. 391-392 PROGRESS IN BURNS CARE J. P MASTERTON, J. P MASTERTONSearch for more papers by this author J. P MASTERTON, J. P MASTERTONSearch for more papers by this author First published: August 1979 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-2197.1979.tb05825.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume49, Issue4August 1979Pages 391-392 RelatedInformation

The majority of ilestomises are construcsted for diversion of the faecal stream in inflammatory bowel disease. Once setablisded, and ilesostomy remains statisfactory in most patients, but in some surgical revision is required. This paper examines the nature of this revision.

Acute small-intestinal obstruction is not an uncommon complication following excisional operation for inflammatory disease of the bowel. In the Monash series the most common cause was adhesion formation. Stoma problems accounted for a small number. There was a special tendency for the complication to appear soon after the excisional surgery. A significant mortality rate accompanied obstructive complication and, over the long term, one in five patients needed further surgery for a recurrence.

: The cause of benign ulcer of the rectum is obscure, and there are varying views as to its pathogenesis. It is usually found to have a clinical onset in young adults of either sex. On sigmoidoscopy, the lesion has a characteristic appearance. The ulcers are, most often, solitary but more than one ulcer can be present. Diagnosis at biopsy is not essential, but distinctive changes can be seen in tissue from both the ulcer itself or the mucosa adjacent to the ulcer. Clinically and histologically recognizable preulcerative and nonulcerative phases are seen. Despite the benign nature of the ulcer, it may persist unchanged for many years, often associated with rectal prolapse. In general, medical and surgical methods of treatment have proved unsatisfactory.

The academic performance of 104 fourth-year medical students was assessed in relation to their sleep habits reported in a questionary and their scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Poorer academic performance was related significantly to later times of waking up in the morning, particularly at weekends, and to subjectively poorer quality sleep, but not to the amount of sleep usually obtained. Poor academic performance was related also to scores on scales 3 (hysteria), 4 (psychopathic deviate) and 8 (schizophrenia) of the MMPI. Simple enquiries about sleep habits may make it easier for students who are at greatest risk of academic failure to be identified and helped.