091322 140 year history - A4 landscape v1 digital - Flipbook - Page 81
1959
Physiotherapy
They are not really dancing – it’s
physiotherapy. As early as 1889
nurses at Prince Alfred Hospital were
performing massage on patients to
relieve pain. In 1902 the Department
of Massage, Medical Gymnastics and
Electricity was set up with qualified
masseurs. Most of them were women
and they treated both in- and outpatients. The department expanded to
accommodate repatriated servicemen
during World War I and later on, during
the 1930s poliomyelitis epidemics, it
became important for patients with
musculoskeletal disorders caused
by polio. In 1940 the department
updated its name to the ‘Physiotherapy
Department’. By then physiotherapy had
largely become a profession for women.
1959
Colombo Plan Student
The Colombo Plan was an intergovernmental program that began in 1951. Its aim was to
promote partnerships between countries in the Asia-Pacific region and raise people’s skill
levels in areas such as health, education and public administration. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
took scholarship students wanting to train in medical science and health care. Pictured here is
Mr John Ong Bah Too who is studying medical dispensing. He was the third man from Sarawak
to study at the hospital.
Photographer J.Tanner; Image from the National Archives of Australia: A1501, A1894/2
Photographer Lynch; Image from State Library of NSW
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