Emeritus Consultants Biographies

Douglas Innes ANNEAR Universities of Adelaide and Cambridge BSc (Adel) 1944 PhD (Cantab) 1956 Consultant Microbiologist

Douglas (Doug) Annear was born in 1921 in Peterborough, South Australia, the son of Frank Annear, a carpenter, and Blanche nee Chamberlain.  Doug attended the University of Adelaide and graduated BSc in 1944.  In 1952 he was awarded a three year studentship from the Medical Research Council and this was later supplemented by an 18 month John Lucas Walker studentship.  This enabled Doug to study at Cambridge in the Department of Pathology where he gained his PhD in 1956.

Doug joined the Department of Microbiology at the Royal Perth Hospital in 1958 as a research officer.  In 1962 he was appointed Assistant Microbiologist and later the word "Assistant" was removed from all Clinical Post titles.  From 1975 to 1986 he was visiting lecturer at the University of Western Australia.

Doug was the Inaugural Chairman of the WA branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology and on his retirement he was made a life member in recognition of his contribution to both the Society and Clinical Microbiology.  He is also a member of the Clinical Microbiology Group of WA and the Western Australian Society for Veneriology and has at one time been chairman of both organisations.

Much of Doug's professional career has been devoted to research and developmental aspects of clinical microbiology.  He developed methods for measuring antibiotic sensitivity which were used in the department for 20 years.  He was associated with the introduction of silver sulphadiazine for the management of infection in burn wounds and has done substantial original work on various aspects of staphylococci.  He has had a major interest in the preservation and freeze drying of cells.

Doug has written a number of scientific papers and these have appeared in Nature, Lancet and the Medical Journal of Australia.

Doug married Jocelyn Lake in 1958 and they have two daughters.

Other interests include walking, cycling, swimming, literature, languages and ecological issues.

Doug retired in 1986 and is now an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia.