Alexander Hay Macintosh, son of a banker, was born at Dalby, Queensland, on 29 May, 1876. He was educated at the Brisbane Grammar School. He studied medicine at the University of Sydney and graduated in 1901 with first-class honours and the University Medal. After graduation, Macintosh was appointed to the resident medical staff of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He remained there until 1905, succeeding CB (later Sir Charles) Blackburn as medical superintendent.

In 1905 he fell victim to pulmonary tuberculosis. Thus came to an end any dreams for advancement on the staff of Prince Alfred Hospital or practice in the metropolitan area of Sydney. In those days, recovery from this dread malady depended on long rest in bed, improvement of nutrition and the treatment of symptoms as they arose, usually in a mountain climate. After abandoning practice in Cooma where he suffered a relapse in 1907, he went to Leura in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, where he commenced general practice.

In 1920, ill once again, he gave up general practice and set up as a specialist physician with an inevitable emphasis on thoracic medicine. He became visiting physician to the Queen Victoria Homes and the Bodington Sanatorium at Wentworth Falls, where he gave devoted attention to servicemen of the First World War.

His reputation as a chest physician was state-wide and tuberculous patients were sent to him for treatment either in one of the numerous private TB hospitals, or while living in one of the upper Blue Mountains towns. Macintosh’s brilliance as a physician was by no means confined to phthysiology. After years in general practice and as one of the few consultants west of Sydney, he was an excellent consultant. He had a wide knowledge and experience in so many disciplines, including acute surgical and obstetric emergencies. His reputation was unique. Patients revered him, and there was no question of a city specialist until Dr ‘Mac’ had said so.

He was visiting honorary medical officer to the Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital at Katoomba, New South Wales. He remained a consultant till the time of his death. His ability as a teacher was greatly appreciated by the group of young men who commenced practice in the Blue Mountains after World War II. He was anything but flamboyant. He was dour, economic with words, but impressive. He was kind to his patients and there was always a twinkle in the eye for those who knew him. ‘What do you think of these chest rays?’ said a young practitioner. Half-smiling he looked at the young man to say ‘I don’t treat x-rays - I treat people’. They happened to belong to a nun with pulmonary TB. There was no way Macintosh could be persuaded to charge anyone in religious life, or the indigent, for his services.

Sir Charles McDonald wrote of him: ‘The quiet and immaculately dressed gentle man was a great and learned physician who could meet on equal terms his city colleagues who had made their mark in internal medicine.’ In the field of tuberculosis he was conservative but never so stubborn as to deny or fail to explore the virtues of advances in therapy. He had doubts about the value of artificial pneumothorax. He lived long enough to witness the advantages of surgical treatment of tuberculosis in selected cases, and to welcome the therapeutic advances after World War II. He took an active interest in College affairs and particularly in the Royal Prince Alfred Medical Officers’ Association, of which he was president for a number of years. He kept in touch by his frequent visits to Sydney.

Macintosh married in 1912 Winifred Olley Jones, a daughter of the Honourable Richard Jones, MLC. He was attended at his wedding by Dr George Waddell, a lawyer and solicitor to the University of Sydney and senior partner of Minter Simpson, the well known firm of solicitors, and Dr Edgar Stephen who became famous as a paediatrician and teacher of paediatric medicine. They had two sons, Alexander Mackay Macintosh who, after serving in World War II and surviving poliomyelitis, became a leader in gynaecology until his retirement to Forster, New South Wales and Richard Jones Macintosh who practised as a chartered accountant. During his life in Leura he took a warm interest in the development of the Blue Mountains. Appointed to the founding committee of the Leura Golf Club in 1908 he served the Club for fifty-one years, thirty-eight of these as president.

It is interesting to note some of AH Macintosh’s contemporaries when at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital: CB Blackburn, SA Smith, WE Harris (the father of RL Harris), Earle Page, Gordon Craig, St John Dansey, Sinclair Gillies, Frank Sandes. He remained friends with them and outlived them all but Sir Charles Blackburn. AH Macintosh died in his ninety-first year from uraemia complicating cardiovascular disease.