1982
CITATION
MR CHANCELLOR,
DR FRANZ KONRAD SADDLER HIRSCHFELD WAS EDUCATED AT BRISBANE BOYS' GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND BEFORE UNDERTAKING MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. HE BECAME A RHODES SCHOLAR IN 1927 AND GRADUATED WITH A 1ST CLASS HONOURS DEGREE IN PHYSIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD IN 1930. SPECIALISING IN SURGERY HE WAS ADMITTED AS AN FRCS IN 1932. AFTER PRACTISING IN LONDON HOSPITALS, HE RETURNED TO BRISBANE IN 1938. HE WAS APPOINTED AS A SURGICAL TUTOR IN 1939 AND, APART FROM 5 YEARS' WAR SERVICE AS SURGEON SPECIALIST, WAS A STAFF MEMBER UNTIL 1966; EVEN TODAY HE CONTINUES AS A DEMONSTRATOR IN PATHOLOGY AND SURGICAL PATHOLOGY. HE WAS SENIOR SURGEON OF THE BRISBANE GENERAL HOSPITAL FROM 1952-1964, AND THEN HAD THE RARE HONOUR OF APPOINTMENT AS CONSULTING SURGEON.
HE HAS BEEN CURATOR OF THE PATHOLOGY MUSEUM AT THE MEDICAL SCHOOL AND ALSO CREATED THE MUSEUM OF MEDICAL HISTORY. HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF SENATE FROM 1966. HE WAS AWARDED THE CBE IN 1978.
THIS BARE RECORD OF. HIS FORMAL ACHIEVEMENTS TELLS US LITTLE OF THE FLESH-AND-BLOOD MAN. DR HIRSCHFELD HAS A WIDE RANGE OF INTERESTS AND IS A SURPRISING MIXTURE OF SENIOR ESTABLISHMENT FIGURE WHO HAS TAKEN NON-CONFORMIST, ALMOST ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT, POSITIONS ON VARIOUS MATTERS: ON THE ONE HAND WE NOTE HIS LONG SERVICE AS A SENIOR SURGEON AT ROYAL BRISBANE HOSPITAL, POSITION ON UNIVERSITY SENATE AND MANY OTHER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE MEDICAL SCHOOL, YEARS AS TRUSTEE OF THE BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, AND AS TRUSTEE AND CHAIRMAN OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRISBANE GIRLS' GRAMMAR SCHOOL; BALANCED ON THE OTHER HAND BY HIS 11 YEARS AS "ASK THE DOCTOR" ON RADIO STATION 4BH, AND HIS SERIES OF PRIZES FOR CHUTNEY AT THE ANNUAL BRISBANE EXHIBITION. HE WORE ARMY STYLE SHORTS FOR SOME YEARS AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR II AND WAS TAKEN TO TASK BY SIR ALEXANDER MURPHY, THE DOYEN OF LOCAL PHYSICIANS, FOR THIS DEPARTURE FROM THE PROFESSIONAL IMAGE.
ON A MORE PROFESSIONAL BASIS, WE NOTE THAT HE PIONEERED THORACIC SURGERY IN BRISBANE AND THAT HE HAS TAKEN A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THE PROBLEMS CIVILISATION BRINGS TO FEET ENCASED IN BADLY FITTING SHOES. CASTS OF BUNIONS WERE USED TO ILLUSTRATE HIS LECTURES ON THIS TOPIC, AND HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A BOOK ON FEET AND THEIR PROBLEMS.
MR CHANCELLOR, FOR HIS SERVICES TO THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND AND TO MEDICINE, I PRESENT TO YOU DR FRANZ KONRAD SADDLER HIRSCHFELD, COMMANDER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, MASTER OF ARTS, FELLOW OF THE ROY AL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, FELLOW OF THE COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS, LICENTIATE OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, FOR ADMISSION TO THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SURGERY, HONORIS CAUSA.