Theophil Johannes Friedrich Frank was born in Teviotville, Boonah, Queensland, in 1904. He was the eldest child of Pastor Theodor Frank of the Lutheran Church, and his wife Marie. His early education was at the Alberton state school, from which he won a scholarship to Maryborough Boys' Grammar School in 1916. He was awarded the Travis Scholarship in 1918, matriculated to the University of Queensland in 1921, and won the Melville and Diamond Jubilee Bursary

His happy childhood was darkened by the heavy clouds of war. His father was interned, and Theo, being the eldest in the young family of three, gave tremendous moral support to his mother, brother and sister. It does not take much imagination to understand his difficulties at school and in the community at that time. Yet, in spite of this, his methodical and thorough application to his work, and his strength and depth of character, enabled him to perform brilliantly. It was characteristic of him that he bore no ill will to those who treated him badly. He loyally and strenuously served his country throughout his career, while loving all that is best in the German tradition —the language, the literature, the medical and scientific achievements, and the worship in the Lutheran Church. He was a regular attender at the German speaking Lutheran Church in East Melbourne, to which his father was called as pastor in 1923.

In 1923, Theo entered the second year of the medical course at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1927 with first-class honours in medicine. He gained his MD (Melbourne) in 1930, after doing residencies at the Melbourne, Children's and Women's Hospitals, Melbourne. He then proceeded to London, where he was admitted MRCP in 1931. He spent 1931 and 1932 working in hospitals in England and Germany, interesting himself in a wide range of medical problems — diabetes, blood disorders, renal disease, and arthritis in particular. He returned to Melbourne and was appointed clinical assistant at the Melbourne and the Children's Hospitals. He gained the Alwyn Stewart and Louisa Alcock Research Scholarships at the University of Melbourne, during 1934 and 1935. He was acting physician to outpatients on several occasions at the Melbourne Hospital. He was a foundation fellow of the RACP in 1938.

The dark clouds of war loomed again, and soon the world was thrown into desperate conflict. Inevitably, this brought misunderstanding and pain to Theo. He was acting physician to outpatients at RMH from January 1940 to March 1946, and loyally laboured long hours, without glamour or recognition, while so many of his colleagues were serving overseas. When hostilities were over he found himself superseded by those returning to civilian life. That he was not appointed to the Royal Melbourne — the hospital he had loved and served so well, was a great disappointment to him, though accepted without complaint or rancour.

He was appointed physician to outpatients at Prince Henry's Hospital in December, 1946, and physician to inpatients in August, 1947. In this youthful but vigorous clinical school his breadth of knowledge and wide experience were invaluable, and he served conscientiously and ably until he was forced to retire prematurely, due to ill health, in 1963, being appointed consultant physician. He continued his practice in Collins Street, where he did not spare himself, and was greatly beloved of many patients who spoke of him as "our doctor". They were deeply and gratefully attached to him and greatly mourned his passing.

Theo Frank was a man of varied interests. He loved literature and the fine arts and was an avid reader. He found relaxation at his billiards table, on the golf course, or at his hideaway at Rosebud, which he dearly loved. He lived a full life, and enjoyed every minute of it, although it had its rough spots. At his birth, his father recorded in the family Bible "we have called our son Theophil, and synonymous with his name may he always be a friend of God and his fellow man". This, indeed, was the pattern of his life and he is gratefully remembered by his friends. He married Gertraut Held of Tanunda, South Australia, who survives him, together with their son Ted and daughter Elizabeth (now practising in South Australia), and three grandchildren. The writer's first personal contact with Theo Frank was as an
undergraduate student at the Melbourne Hospital where Theo's smile and kindly manner, together with exhibition of a very wide knowledge of internal medicine, made him an ideal tutor for those commencing clinical medicine. Later, we enjoyed company together as physician-members of the honorary medical staff at Prince Henry's Hospital to the time of his retirement in 1963. The kindliness of his manner and his transparent goal of goodness, both in medicine and life generally, never deserted him.