Baldwin Sims was born on 1 September 1915 in a small hospital on South Terrace, Adelaide, during the First World War years. His father was a dentist, his mother a housewife, and both lived well into their 90s. There was one other sibling, Eric's sister, Roxy.

His education began at the Methodist Ladies College in Wayville, followed by enrolment in Prince Alfred College in 1924. Although not a top student, he matriculated in 1932; the following year he began medicine at the Adelaide University.

Unhappily, in fourth year, he developed pulmonary tuberculosis. Before streptomycin, treatment mainly consisted of prolonged rest, diet, and in the case of unilateral disease, collapse of the affected lung by a pneumothorax. Eric endured two years of this regime before resuming his medical course while still dependent on one lung, yet finishing top in both fifth and sixth years and graduating MB BS in 1940.

He became a Resident Medical Officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, during which time his collapsed lung was re-expanded. With health regained Eric's thoughts for the future were to continue in adult medicine, only to find them disrupted by the Medical Coordination Committee, a wartime body concerned with the country's manpower requirements. He was directed to take up the position of Medical Superintendent at the Adelaide Children's Hospital in 1942, a job he held for the next five years. This experience led to an abiding interest in children and their diseases. Furthermore, he was able to gain his MRACP and to acquire the award of MD (Adelaide) during this period. Tuberculosis, by precluding service in the Armed Forces, and conscription by the Medical Coordination Committee were two unanticipated events in Eric's life.

Leaving the superintendency, he began working as an Honorary Visiting Outpatient Physician and establishing a private paediatric practice in North Terrace, which he later moved to North Adelaide. Granted a Nuffield Foundation Travelling Fellowship, with his wife, Pauline, he visited paediatric centres in the United Kingdom in 1949-50. On return, he was appointed Senior Honorary Paediatrician to the Queen Victoria Hospital, and shortly afterwards tutor in neonatal paediatrics by the university. The medical curriculum of 1958/59 did not include neonatal paediatrics but Eric carried on with his weekly tutorials off campus in the form of peripatetic instruction while walking on the adjacent Victoria Park racecourse, a practice he continued until his retirement from the hospital in 1970. These rounds, spiced with neonatology and natural history, were enjoyed immensely by his students, who were inspired by his gift of curiosity and his enquiring mind.

He duly became one of the senior physicians at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. He relished the care of the sick children, the teaching of students and the collaboration with others in the hospital team. In spite of this heavy work load, two further interests, both dear to his heart, must be mentioned - the hospital library and the hospital journal. Eric was appointed to manage the 'embryo' library when the Board accepted responsibility for it and did so until 1993 when the medical library was combined with the nursing library to form the Eric Sims Library in the Gilbert Building. Fittingly, Eric was asked to open it. Guided by an editorial committee from the medical staff, the first Journal of the Clinical Reports of the Adelaide Children's Hospital was published in May 1947, and with Eric's driving editorship it continued publication. He hoped it would spread knowledge of paediatrics locally and nationally, and this it did, particularly in neonatology. He also made it an avenue for junior doctors to submit articles written under his expert eye.

His literary capacity was legendary, but in addition he was an excellent raconteur capable of embellishing a point with humorous anecdote. It is not surprising that he was elected President of the Australian Paediatric Association in 1970/71 and the Swift Memorial Lecturer for the Adelaide Children's Hospital in 1978. He was invited to give the Memorial Oration in honour of Dr Gibson and Dr Turner, two eminent Queensland physicians in 1981. In that same year he was honoured with Membership in the Order of Australia.

After 33 years of service as a Visiting Medical Officer, Eric retired from the hospital in 1980. Heeding his dictum 'I want to wear out not rust out', he eventually retired from private practice in 1989. His outstanding hospital career included major contributions to the development of neonatal paediatrics in South Australia and first-rate teaching of medical students.

He married Pauline Burns Cuming in 1942 and, after her death, Patricia Lake, who also predeceased him. Jenny and Jono were the children of the first marriage. They, and their children in turn, were a constant source of pleasure and pride whose progress was watched keenly with the critical eye of the paediatrician. Their support during his last years was always a source of joy to him.

After retirement, he was able to pursue his great liking of natural history, especially botany, with Sir John Cleland, a former Professor of Pathology, well known for his ecological knowledge. Another botanical interest was the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, and as one of its Friends he wrote many fascinating articles for their gazette, eventually becoming its co-editor for 10 years.

He is remembered with respect and affection, particularly by his fellow paediatricians. Although physically fragile in later years, his remarkable mental abilities did not diminish; in fact, he died peacefully at home a few hours after completing the Cross-Quiz of the day.