Neil Hamilton Fairley, 1891 - 1966

Abstract

Neil Hamilton Fairley, an outstanding figure in the world of tropical medicine during the period which spanned the two world wars, was born in Australia, and spent his early years in that country. He was of Scottish extraction, as his grandfather was one of a group who emigrated to Australia from a small village in the environs of Hamilton, in Lanarkshire, a fact which accounts for the grandson’s middle name. His father, James Fairley, was a bank manager with strong country interests who spent most of his life in Victoria. Of his mother, nee Margaret Louise Jones, Neil writes with affection, and much admiration. She bore six sons, four of whom reached adult life and took up medicine as a career. One, having qualified M.D., Melbourne, and F.R.C.S., England, specialized in surgery, but died on service during World War I. A second, also M.D., Melbourne, and later F.R.C.P., London, and F.R.A.C.P., ultimately became senior physician to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, while the third, who contracted tuberculosis as a student, did not specialize and entered general practice. Neil had his schooling at Scotch College, where in his last year he was ‘dux’ in the matriculation class. He went on to study medicine at Melbourne University, and had a distinguished career, gaining many awards and qualifying M.B., B.S., with first-class honours in 1915. In these early years he was an athlete of no mean calibre and won, first the public school open high jumping championship, and later the inter-varsity high jumping championship of Australia.