Alan McGuinness was born in Arncliffe, NSW, son of Arthur McGuinness, a school teacher who was awarded a Carnegie scholarship and MBE for services to education, and Constance Jemima, also a teacher, daughter of Joseph McManus, builder. He was educated at Sydney Boys’ High School and the University of Sydney and graduated MB BS in 1935.

After appointments at Sydney Hospital (1935-36) and the Women’s Hospital (1936-37) he trained in London and obtained his MRCP. He was a captain in the AAMC 1936-37, joined the RAMC at the outbreak of war, serving with the BEF 1940-41, and was promoted captain. He transferred to the AIF, became RMO to 2/2 Infantry Battalion (1941-42) and served in the Middle East and New Guinea where he was awarded the Military Cross for ‘courage and devotion to duty of a very high order’. He served with 116 AGH, 2/9 AGH and 7 POW Camp prior to discharge as a major in 1945. He was part-time DADMS (1949), then DDMS 2 Military District and retired with the rank of colonel (1953).

In 1946 he became an honorary clinical assistant physician to the Sydney Hospital and to St Vincent’s Hospital and an assistant honorary physician to the Albion Street Clinic. He was a visiting physician at Concord Hospital and an outpatient physician for the Repatriation Department from 1946 until his death. As a Carnegie scholar in 1949 he visited Boston, Baltimore and New York City and was overseas again in 1963 and 1966 visiting the US and the UK. At Sydney Hospital he was assistant physician (1949), physician (1956), senior physician (1969) and when appointed a consultant in 1972 was chairman of the medical board and a member of both the house committee and the board of directors.

He made significant contributions to the profession outside as well as inside clinical practice and especially in the RACP. He was a member of the NSW state committee (1958-66), censor (1962-72), first secretary to the board of censors (1965-72) and member of the therapeutics advisory committee (1963-72). He was a member of the AMA NSW branch council (1959-65) and a director of the Scottish Hospital (1957-72). He was active in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as a member of the departmental drug review committee and a specialist medical arbitrator in special tribunal actions.

As a teacher he was famous at all levels; undergraduates referred to him as ‘so keen to teach and so good at it’, ‘as a clinical teacher he is superb’, ‘surely this was the way medicine was meant to be taught’, ‘the master’. He was immensely popular and taught as much by precept as by his ward rounds which were attended by people from many disciplines. His publications were mainly clinical and in Australian journals.

His personality was full of contrasts. His treatment of students and house staff as equals resulted in what appeared to be unkind and sarcastic remarks: ‘What mental age to-day, boy?’, ‘Go on with your dreary tale, boy.’ But there was no unkindness in Alan - as the students wrote: ‘An encouraging word, a warm arm around the shoulders...’. His kindness to his patients was only matched by the unobtrusive, almost secret, help he gave to many people.

His dislike of affectation and insincerity, both utterly foreign to his nature, coupled with his ability in repartee and his sense of humour and mischievous pleasure in pricking balloons of pomposity made him a most stimulating companion. His dinner parties for overseas visitors at the Australian Club, at which most guests were his ‘boys’ - his present or past house staff - were long remembered for his sparkling conversation. His ‘needling’ here and there, always with a charming quizzical smile which could become so mocking with a contemporary who deserved it, made it certain that any senior guest was on his toes all the time.

Medicine was his mistress and he strove to practice with excellence and with the maximum of humanity. He was unmarried, liked gardening and dining out but had little time for interests outside his patients, public and private, and the careers of those he taught.