John Smith Purdy

DrJohn Smith PurdyFRSEDSO MID (1872–1936) was an early 20th-century Scots-born physician and military physician who came to fame inTasmaniaandAustralia.

Life

He was born on 31 January 1872 inGlasgow,the son of George Purdy a market gardener and his wife, Frances Smith. The family moved toMorpethin northern England in his infancy. He was educated atKing Edward VI School, Morpeth.He then studied medicine atAberdeen Universitygraduating MB CM in 1898. In 1899 he joined his older brother Dr James Purdy atOtakiHospital inNew Zealand.However, after only a few months he volunteered to join theSecond Boer Waras a Surgeon-Captain in theNew Zealand Mounted Rifles.

When he was demobilised in 1902 he went toLondonto seek employment and obtained a post at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He undertook a Diploma in Public Health atCambridge University.He also returned to Aberdeen for his doctorate (MD) with a thesis onsyphilis.After a few months as a GP inLiverpoolhe joined Dr E. T. Ross at the Quarantine Service inEgypt,as a Foreign Office nominee in 1905. In 1906 he was reposted toEl-Torin theSinaidistrict, overseeing the quarantine of pilgrims returning fromMecca.

In February 1907 he returned to New Zealand as a district medical officer inAucklandbut found himself in competition with his brother James in terms of any more senior position. He therefore moved toTasmaniain1910 taking on the role of Chief Medical Officer (aged only 38). Here he introduced new food hygiene laws.

In 1911 he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh.His proposers wereWilliam Ramsay Smith,John Halliday Scott,Sir William TurnerandArthur Robinson.

His wanderlust still not satisfied, he moved toSydneyinAustraliain 1913 as Metropolitan Medical Officer of Health under Dr J. A. Thompson. Within a few weeks of the onset of theFirst World Warhe again volunteered, serving as a sanitary officer with theAustralian Army Medical Corpsattached to the 1st Division Australian forces inEgypt(where his local understanding was greatly beneficial). On 1 January 1916 he was promoted to Lt Colonel and placed in charge of sanitation atTel-el-Kebiroverseeing a camp of 30,000 ANZAC troops. In October 1916 he was attached to the 10th Field Ambulance Division on the western front inBelgium.He won theDistinguished Service Order(DSO) for his services atMessines Ridgein the summer of 1917. AlsoMentioned in Dispatcheshe was promoted to temporary Colonel and oversaw the 3rd Australian General Hospital atAbbevillein France from January to June 1918.

He was returned to Australia before the end of the war to combat the spreadingSpanish fluepidemic which had reached Australia on the returning hospital ships. He reached Sydney in September 1918 and began a year-long battle trying to combat the epidemic. The situation was worsened by two minor outbreaks of plague in Sydney in 1920. He was made President of the Health Society ofNew South Walesand Chairman of the Public Health Association and President of the Australian Association of Fighting Venereal Disease. In his position on the Town Planning Association of NSW he was influential in instigating a programme of slum clearance in Sydney.

He was also President of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia and Deputy Chairman of theSt John's Ambulance Association.

He died at St Luke's Hospital inSydneyon 26 July 1936. The "J S Purdy Memorial Medal" was struck in his honour by Sydney Technical College in the year of his death.

Family

In 1904 he married Emily Crake. His sonCecil John Seddon Purdywas a well known chess player, author and magazine editor.

Publications

• Better Sanitation for Ships Crews(1912)
• Australian Hygiene and Public Health(1932)