Claudia Portia Burton Bradley (28 November 1909 – 5 October 1967) was an

orthopaedist Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, paediatrician and pharmacist. Her main area of work and research was

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

, which led her to become the first medical director of the Spastic Centre of New South Wales and the founder of the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association.

Early life

Bradley was born in 1909 to Alan Godfrey Burton Bradley and wife Ruby Malvina Drayton in

Richmond, New South Wales Richmond is a town in New South Wales, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue Mountains on the Cumberland Plain. It is abou ...

. Alan Burton Bradley was the son of Henry Burton Bradley, who in turn was the nephew of

William Westbrooke Burton Sir William Westbrooke Burton (31 January 1794 – 6 August 1888) was a judge and President of the Legislative Council, New South Wales, Australia. Early life Burton was born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, the fifth son of Edmund ...

. Claudia Burton Bradley was diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

at the age of 11 and was one of the world's first diabetics to receive treatment with

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

. Her early hospitalisations and treatment influenced her aspirations to study medicine. She attended Cleveland Street Intermediate High School in Sydney and, after graduating in 1928, enrolled at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

studying arts and pharmacy. She qualified as a pharmacist in 1930 and worked in the pharmacy of the Western Suburbs Hospital from 1933 to 1938 before returning to university to complete a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

, which she received in 1943.

Career

Bradley's first role as a resident medical officer was in 1944 at Sydney's

Royal North Shore Hospital The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located in St Leonards. It serves as a teaching hospital for Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney and has over 600 beds. It is the prin ...

(RNSH) and later the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children (RFH). In 1945, she was appointed the first medical director of the Spastic Centre of New South Wales, and the same year she married Joel Austen Phillips, a retired businessman. In the following years she was appointed RNSH's honorary clinical assistant in physiotherapy and honorary assistant orthopaedic surgeon at RFH. Her main area of work was in

; she was involved in international research and pioneered a team-based approach to treatment and habilitation. She campaigned for the "maintenance of dignity in relation to these children as fellow beings" and the encouragement of children with the disease "to lead useful and independent lives". She founded the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1952 and was made an honorary member of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy.

Later life

Bradley retired in 1962 due to her worsening health as a result of diabetes. She was made a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1966 for her commitment to researching and treating cerebral palsy. She died from a

coronary occlusion A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack. In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored ...

on 5 October 1967 in

Cremorne, New South Wales Cremorne is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 6 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Cremorne Junction is a localit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Claudia Burton 1909 births 1967 deaths Australian medical doctors University of Sydney alumni Australian orthopaedic surgeons Australian paediatricians Women pediatricians Australian pharmacists Members of the Order of the British Empire Women pharmacists 20th-century surgeons 20th-century Australian medical doctors 20th-century Australian women medical doctors