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- Title
SH08 THE MESSRS CROWTHER IN HOBART TOWN: FIVE GENERATIONS OF SURGERY AND SERVICE, SCANDAL AND STORYTELLING.
- Authors
Robson, K. J.
- Abstract
Sir William E.L. Crowther (1887–1981), acclaimed doctor, author and historian, and 1952 Archibald Watson orator, is the fourth in an illustrious line of Crowthers practising medicine in Hobart. Fascinated by history from the age of eight, Sir William amassed a collection of some 15,000 items, including books, instruments and artworks. These he donated to the State Library of Tasmania in 1964 as the W.L. Crowther Library, intended as a memorial to his family. His great-grandfather, surgeon William Crowther (1788–1839), migrated to Hobart Town in 1825. Never favoured by the administration, he served the community tirelessly, forming the Sick Poor Society and Hobart Town Dispensary, and advocating strongly for the development of local medical education. Grandfather William L. Crowther (1817–1885), was a well-recognised surgeon and scientist, awarded the gold medal of the Royal College of Surgeons. An entrepreneur, with interests in whaling, sawmills and the guano trade, he became Premier of Tasmania in 1876. He was also involved in the much written-about scandalous mutilation of the body of the last male Tasmanian aborigine, William Lanney, an episode attracting commentary to the present day. His father, Edward L. Crowther (1843–1931), was a surgeon, amateur horticulturalist and gunner, and served the Tasmanian community as a Parliamentarian for 30 years. Like his forebears, he promoted education, and helped found the University of Tasmania. An examination of the Crowther lineage offers a colourful insight into the medical and social history of colonial Tasmania, the changing boundaries of acceptable research practice, and the complex implications of carrying both the gifts and burdens of ones ancestry.
- Subjects
HISTORY of surgery; CROWTHER, William, 1887-1981; LANNEY, William; MEDICAL education; MEDICAL innovations
- Publication
ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2009, Vol 79, pA75
- ISSN
1445-1433
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.04931_8.x