 |
|
Emeritus Consultants Biographies
Archie Simpson was born in Scotland on June 23rd 1918, an only son to his father who was a paediatric physician. He was educated at the famous Edinburgh school Loreto. While in his teens he endured radical surgery for a duodenal ulcer and surgical treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis, well before revolutionary drugs for tuberculosis were discovered. He entered the University of Edinburgh Medical School graduating MB BS in 1942. After working as a senior Thoracic Registrar with George Mason at Shotley Bridge Hospital in Durham from 1948 to 1951 he came to Perth as Assistant Thoracic Surgeon in the Department of Health and later as Assistant Thoracic Surgeon at Royal Perth Hospital and a partner in private practice with Mr Fred Clark. He was appointed Senior Thoracic Surgeon in 1958 after Fred Clark's retirement and continued in this role for a further 15 years. "This was a time of ferment in thoracic surgery, mitral valvotomy in the 1950's then inflow occlusion, then profound hypothermia, then coronary perfusion and back to local cooling and coronary artery surgery". To quote again Thomas Cullity who wrote his obituary in the Medical Journal of Australia "Archie was shrewd and unflinching in assessing quality in other people's work and pursuing it himself. He was never rough with second rate things or people, and never hoodwinked by them. There was a Caledonian instinct to distinguish cant wherever it was hidden and enough urbanity and detachment to enjoy the extremities of human comedy when they could not be cured. ---" He was Clinical Sub-Dean in the Medical School from 1969 to 1972 and Head of the Emergency Centre at the Royal Perth Hospital until 1976. He served on a number of Royal Perth Hospital Committees where he was always fair and canny. He was a Fellow and President of the Royal Medical Society Edinburgh. "The admirable achievement of a world-class Thoracic Surgery Unit in Perth the most isolated capital city in the world is his monument and he was secretly proud of it". This was recognised by his being awarded the CMG. He retired from his position at the Royal Perth Hospital for health reasons and the Board of Management appointed him Emeritus Consultant Thoracic Surgeon in recognition of his contribution to the Hospital. His family life was close and of the greatest importance to him and although his last illness was prolonged and cruel he bore it with equanimity. He died in the village of Alldale in Cumberland, England, his wife's birthplace, on March 3rd 1978 leaving his wife June and two sons Colin and Ian. |
