Max Dunstone – A eulogy
Max Dunstone (6.7.1926-7.4.2002) will be remembered as one of South Australia's best general practitioners.
Max was not only an excellent family doctor who practised for 50 years in the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide, but he also excelled in the academic and research areas of general practice.
The history of his life is marked by outstanding service to his community as a caring, compassionate doctor. He was discerning and sound in diagnosis with his clinical approach to the disease processes that confronted him and there was mutual trust and affection between doctor and patient. He related very well to his patients - even learning to speak Italian to develop better communication and empathy with his Italian patients, who formed a significant proportion of his large practice clientele.
Relatively early in his medical career Max realised the wealth of medical information that was available in general practice. In developing the Research Committee in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, he was able to put that information to practical and valuable use.
He was one of the original leaders of the College in South Australia and one of the first board members from 1958; Chairman of the SA Faculty Board (1974-1976), and Provost (1976-1978).
From 1958-1990 he served on eight committees within the College, including the Medical Education, Preventive and Community Medicine, Practice Management, Accreditation and Censor Committees.
He was Chairman of the SA Faculty Research Committee (1960-1990) and Chairman of the National Research Committee of the RACGP Council (1976-1979).
Max had many research articles published in medical journals at a time when there was very little Australian GP research being done. He wrote five papers on obstetrics in SA, all published in the Medical Journal of Australia that were monumental in their content. At the time, 84 % of infants born in SA were delivered by GP obstetricians, and Max considered there was a need for an assessment of the standards of their performance. Standards and assessment processes were established. By the early 1980s, South Australia had the lowest perinatal mortality in the world at 5.5 per 1000 (c.f. Sweden 8 per 1000). His research has been credited as being one of the contributing factors to this excellent result.
He was awarded an Order of Australia- a Member of the Order (AM) 'for his services to medicine as a general practitioner for 36 years with involvement in community based medical research'.
In recent years Max had been involved in the Delineation of Clinical Privileges for Rural Hospitals Committee that determined the range of practises rural doctors could perform in hospitals. Other notable appointments include:
- Medical officer, Central Board of Health, City of Adelaide, 1979-1994.
- Board member, SA Cancer Registry, 1976-1986.
- Board member, SA Government Obstetric and Gynaecology Advisory Committee, 1973-1979.
- Designated Aviation Medical Examiner, Central Aviation Safety Authority, 1985-2000.
- Chairman, Medical Records Committee, North Eastern Community Hospital, 1978-2000.
- Chairman, Peer Review Committee, North Eastern Community Hospital, 1978-2000.
Max was a deeply religious person, being associated with the Anglican Church and was warden of St Aidan's Church in Payneham, SA
Max died on 7 April, 2002 from renal cancer. He is survived by his loving wife Pat and a caring family.
Vale: To a great doctor who was loved and respected by his patients, peers and family and who, with integrity and humility achieved so much.
Written by Robert Cooter, AM - Urrbrae, SA. Printed in Australian Family Physician Volume 31 No. 9 – September 2002