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College Roll Bio

de Vidas, Jack


Qualifications
MBBS Adel (1938) DTM Syd (1940) MRACP (1942) FRACP (1972)
Born
07/07/1914
Died
14/07/1997

My association with Jack De Vidas was during our time together at the Mater Public Hospital, Brisbane. I was fortunate in being one of his students in clinical medicine. His teaching was based on a deep knowledge of pathology, clinical physiology medicine, and demonstration of physical signs. Later, when I returned from postgraduate training in the United Kingdom, he and I worked together as senior honorary physicians at the Mater Public Hospital. He served there for at least another twenty years.

During World War II he served as pathologist to the RAAF mobile hospital in Papua 1939-46. Later on he was a staff specialist with the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Jack was an all rounder, a prolific reader and a lover of music. He was a member of the university orchestra as well as many local musical societies. I never saw Jack drive a car, except in an emergency. He always travelled by train, bus, walked or rode his bicycle, long before those methods of transport were fashionable, particularly for senior consultant physicians.

Jack De Vidas had a dry sense of humour and was liked by all nurses, consultants, registrars, interns and most importantly, patients. He was sadly missed when he left the hospital when he reached retiring age. At a time when senior consultants have to “conform”, Jack De Vidas may have been one of the group of Hospital “characters”. Jack De Vidas exemplified all that was desirable and good in a physician – kindness, patience, knowledge, skill and compassion.

Author

IR FERGUSON

References

Last Updated

May 30, 2018, 17:39 PM
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