Dr Phyllis Anderson (1919)

MB, ChM Syd (1925), MRACP (1938), FRACP (1947). A pre-eminent and highly regarded pathologist, Phyllis carried out research into children’s diseases such as whooping-cough, diphtheria and the gastroenteritis epidemic of 1928–29. She was a regular contributor to the Medical Journal of Australia. Throughout her career, Phyllis was also heavily involved in the interests of medical women.

Phyllis Margery Anderson (1919) enrolled at ��Vlog in 1913 at the age of 12. She was an all-rounder who excelled at school. Some of the Speech Night prizes she won were in French, History, Singing, Conduct and Spelling. In 1918 she was the Dux of the School and a Prefect, becoming the Head Day Girls’ Prefect in 1919. In her Leaving Certificate¹, Phyllis gained the highest pass in English for the state.

Phyllis went on to study Medicine at the University of Sydney where she was also a director of the Women’s Union and a member of its debate committee.

In 1926 Phyllis became a pathologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children researching childhood diseases. She was promoted to the senior resident pathologist the following year, remaining in this position until 1940. Phyllis was renowned for developing close relationships with her patients.

Phyllis moved to the University of Sydney’s Department of Bacteriology in 1941, and in 1945 she became a teaching fellow and later a part-time lecturer. Although reserved by nature, she was popular with her students. Some of her research at the University was concerned with malaria, tuberculosis, whooping-cough, and the development of techniques for taking swabs and growing cultures. She was part of the group responsible for the transition of the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children² into a teaching hospital.

Throughout her career Phyllis was also heavily involved in the interests of medical women. In 1928 she was a founder of the Medical Women’s Society of NSW (from 1935–1949 she was an office-bearer, and from 1945–1946 was the president). In 1938 she became a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and a fellow in 1947. She represented medical women on the standing committee of Convocation of the University of Sydney in 1950–1957 and was women’s representative on the council of the State branch of the British Medical Association in 1951–1954.

Phyllis was a lover of literature, music and ballet. She was a member of the overseas advisory committee of the Royal Academy of Dancing and contributed to the development of training for ballet in Australia. Widely read, she had ‘an immense fund of kindness, sympathy and wisdom’ as well as ‘the habit of accuracy of thought and economy of speech’. A colleague claimed that ‘many qualities contributed to the high standard of her work — a first-class intellect, scientific integrity and fierce personal honesty, human understanding, humility and a powerful sense of humour’.

In her will, Phyllis bequeathed £47,000 to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. After her untimely death in 1957, the University established the Phyllis Anderson Research Fellowship.

1. The Leaving Certificate was the precursor to the HSC/IB.
2. The Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children was co-founded by ��Vlog Old Girl, Dr Susie O’Reilly

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