Charles Vincent MacKay graduated in medicine at the University of Melbourne in 1905, and spent a year each at the Melbourne Hospital, the Children’s Hospital and the Infectious Diseases Hospital, where he was medical superintendent. From 1908 to 1912 he was medical superintendent of Melbourne Hospital, following which he held posts as clinical assistant and then honorary outpatient physician and practised privately as a physician.

During the War he went to England, joined the RAMC and, with the rank of major, was placed in command of the medical division of King George Military Hospital at Waterloo. Later he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and commanded 80 General Hospital in Salonika. He developed an interest in disorders of muscles, becoming the prototype of the specialist in rehabilitation and the rheumatologist.

In 1919 he was in charge of the muscle re-education units at Alder Hey Military Hospital in Liverpool and in 1921 he joined the UK Ministry of Pensions, initially as an orthopaedic specialist and later as deputy commissioner of medical services. He subsequently practised in Wimpole Street.

In 1936 Mackay returned to Australia as assistant to Sir Colin MacKenzie, director of the Australian Institute of Anatomy, Canberra. He became director of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria 1939-42, wartime executive medical officer of the Medical Equipment Control Committee 1942-45, and then joined the Cancer Institute, first as secretary and finally as executive medical officer.

Charles Mackay was a retiring, shy person with a stammer in his younger days, but he had sound judgement and was a good administrator. He died at his home in South Yarra. His brother Eric was a senior medical officer in the Repatriation Department.