Book Review
The Life and Times of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Muriel Knox Doherty, R Lynette Russell (ed)
ISBN: 0-909543-66-6 1996 352 pages New South Wales College of Nursing, Glebe
Joan Durdin
South Australia
Among the many histories of hospitals published in recent years, it is rare to find one written by a nurse. It is equally rare to find an autobiography by so eminent a nurse as Muriel Knox Doherty. Her books, published posthumously in 1996, make an important contribution to the history of health care in Australia.
Throughout her nursing life Doherty collected historical documents, memorabilia and correspondence which provided the source material for three books. After her death in 1988 this material, and the books in draft form came to the New South Wales College of Nursing. Recognising their historical value, the College arranged for an editor to prepare the books for publication.
In 1916, as a Red Cross volunteer working at the Prince Alfred Hospital, Doherty sighted a copy of Florence Nightingale's notes on hospitals. The famous British nurse had given it to the hospital's first secretary in 1887. Now it was about to be discarded. Impressed by this volume and aware of it proper place in the archives of the Prince Alfred Hospital, Doherty began to collect and preserve other historical documents.
Doherty began her work on the history of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in the 1920s while she was a charge nurse. Her aim was to present a chronological picture of conditions at the hospital, set in the context of medical thought and practice of each period in its development. By this means she hoped to reveal the leadership role which the hospital had maintained since its inception. Not surprisingly, in view of the detailed nature of the study, the book covers only the early years of the life of the hospital, from its foundation in the early 1880s up to 1920.
Doherty was encouraged by the interest shown in her work by a senior member of the medical staff, Dr HH Schlinck. During Dr Schlinck's term as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the hospital, Doherty gained permission to access all relevant hospital documents. An overseas tour in 1956 provided the opportunity to continue her work in Britain, particularly on the Vaughan Nash Collection of Florence Nightingale's letters. In 1965 she made a major study of records at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
Then followed the years of compiling the history, which deals in detail with major events and with the people who shaped the hospital's development. It also included many homely pictures. One is of the first matron, who found that she was responsible for collecting the supplies of stimulants for patients. The embarrassed lady used to put on her longest cloak to slip over at dusk to a nearby public house to purchase a bottle when needed. Even then, she feared that she acquired a poor reputation. Employees in the lower ranks have their place in history. The hall porter, a 'huge man with flat feet' strode about the hospital entrance, summoning porters and patients in a stentorian voice. A cook, who for fifty years prepared the meals for the resident doctors, earned renown throughout the hospital for the Christmas cakes and puddings that she made each year.
In her autobiography, Doherty recounts her life as a nurse from the early 1920s. Her career at first followed a familiar pattern-trainee nurse, staff nurse, charge nurse, followed by an overseas tour and nursing in Britain and Europe. Her later experiences were unique. She paid her own way to gain qualifications from the University of London as a tutor sister. She then returned to her training school as its first qualified tutor sister and set up its first Preliminary Training School. During World War Two she was the first appointed member, the first matron of the RAAF Nursing Service. After the war she joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Authority (UNRRA). She was posted ass matron of the Belsen Concentration Camp hospital in Germany. A later assignment was in Poland. Returning to Australia she was an activist in the advancement of nursing affairs in Australia. Her autobiography makes engrossing reading. The descriptions of her experiences with UNRRA are particularly revealing.
Writing in a narrative style, Doherty offers dense detail, well written and lightened by touches of humour which tell something of her personality. End notes to each chapter in the hospital history include source references.
Neither volume is indexed, which leads to some difficulty in finding particular items of interest. A feature which makes for some difficulty in handling and reading the books is their physical dimensions. Had the autobiography been presented in a standard form, it could be read in places other than at a desk or table. However, as companion volumes the decision to use the same double-page format for both is appreciated.
Both books deserve a wide readership. Those with an interest in the growth of the health services will find a detailed picture of an Australian hospital more than one hundred years ago. They will learn of the roles played by those who worked there, and who struggled to develop an effective service. They will learn that factors such as recession and retrenchment are not confined to the present day.
Nurses of today will find inspiration in the life story of Muriel Doherty, who was ever ready for a new challenge. Her far-sightedness and zeal contributed to many developments which we take for granted today. Perhaps nurse readers will also appreciate the value of preserving records of their own work. We are indebted to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital theatre nurse who, nearly one hundred years ago, left for prosperity her personal notebook. It included lists of instruments for particular operations. It also listed the idiosyncrasies of the surgeons, including details of the lotions and instruments they used.
Congratulations to the New South Wales College of Nursing for its initiative in publishing these books, and to the editor for her painstaking ask of presenting them for publication, faithfully preserving the author's style.
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