Robert Scot Skirving further papers with additional material compiled by Ann Macintosh, 1850-2004

fonds

1850-2004

Textual Records, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Graphic Materials, Photographs, Drawings, Clippings

446445

1.57 metres of textual material and photographs (7 boxes and 1 outsize box) and 1 gramophone record

Robert Scot Skirving is one of Sydney’s most colourful medical personalities and great clinical teachers. His memoirs, written mostly in the 1930’s and intended for family rather than for publication, have been edited and published by his granddaughter, Ann Macintosh, his only surviving descendant.

Robert Scot Skirving was born in Scotland on 18 December 1859, son of Robert Scot Skirving and Elizabeth (Leila) Skirving (nee Owen). Robert attended the Edinburgh Academy and Eastman’s Royal Naval academy, near Portsmouth, England. He entered the merchant service and, after two voyages to Iceland, joined the training ship Conway, and was apprenticed in 1875 in a sailing vessel, Tantallon Castle, bound for Port Adelaide.

On the return voyage Scot Skirving developed beri-beri, which led him in 1876 to enrol in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After further studies in Dublin and Vienna he was appointed house physician at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, in1881. Early in 1883 Scot Skirving joined the migrant ship, Ellora, as ship’s surgeon and returned to Australia.

In Australia, Scot Skirving practised in Queensland until appointed medical superintendent at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney in 1883. In 1884 he set up practice in College Street, Sydney and on 6 January 1886 at Willoughby married Lucy Susan Hester. He was successively honorary assistant physician (1884-89), honorary physician (1889-1911) and consultant from 1911 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He was also honorary surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital (1889-1923). He was the lecturer in clinical medicine at the University of Sydney (1889-1911), was president of the New South Wales branch of the British Medical Association (1891-1892) and served as chief medical adviser to the Australian Mutual Provident Society (1911-36). During World War II he was persuaded by Sir Herbert Schlink to lecture at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Robert Scot Skirving served in the South African War as consulting surgeon (1900-01) with Alexander MacCormick, fellow colleague from the University of Edinburgh and on his return wrote a pamphlet on 'Our Army in South Africa' (1901).

Scot Skirving published extensively on medical and more general subjects in the Australian Medical Gazette and the Medical Journal of Australia, including his reminiscences of his voyages to Australia.

At the time of his death in1956, aged 96, Robert Scot Skirving was the oldest medical graduate of the University of Edinburgh and in Australia could boast of 72 years service to the Prince Alfred Hospital where his Australian medical career began.

Ann Macintosh, grand-daughter of Dr. Robert Scot Skirving, is the editor of 'Memoirs of Dr. Robert Scot Skirving 1859-1956', Foreland Press, Sydney, published in 1988.

Reference:
Australian Dictionary of Biography

This collection is arranged into two series;

SERIES 01
Robert Scot Skirving further papers, 1853-1956

SERIES 02
Ann Macintosh research papers relating to the editing and publication of Robert Scot Skirving's memoirs, 1850-2004

Partly restricted: Applies to Box 2