Sir David Hardie (4 June 1856 – 11 November 1945) was an Australian medical practitioner. Hardie was born on at New Spynie near Elgin,

Morayshire Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It w ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, son of John Hardie, farmer, and his wife Margaret (née Masson). He attended school in Elgin before furthering his education at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

( M.B., Ch.B., 1878), he worked there for two years as a demonstrator in anatomy, then started general practice in 1880 at

Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...

, Morayshire. On 6 June 1883 he married Marianne Jeans at Nairn. She was the daughter of Alexander Jeans and Isabella Blythe. His eldest daughter M.I.H. Hardie, (known as Helena) was born in 1886 at Forres. After gaining his medical doctorate at Aberdeen in 1887, David Hardie emigrated with his wife and daughter to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. They soon after settled in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and he was registered in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

on 5 May 1887. Living initially at Stanley Villa on the south bank of the Brisbane River, he settled finally in

Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...

. In 1889 his only son John Hardie, was born. In 1893, David's youngest daughter (and biographer), Jean Blythe Scot Hardie was born.Hardie, J., ''Early Reminiscences of Brisbane's First Medical Knight'' (MS F1431, University of Queensland Library)

Medical career

Hardie specialized in the diseases of women and children, particularly those arising from climate. In 1893, he became president of the Medical Society of Queensland, which became a branch of the British Medical Association, the predecessor of the

Australian Medical Association The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is an Australian public company by guarantee formed as a professional association for Australian doctors and medical students. The association is not run by the Australian Government and does not regul ...

. On a visit to Europe in 1895 (with his wife and 3 children) he investigated Röntgen's work on

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

s but although he brought radiology equipment to Australia he did not pursue the work. During this trip he spent some time back in Moray with his ailing father, and also with his elder brother John's family at Westerton Farm,

Pluscarden Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery in the glen of the Black Burn, southwest of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II for the Valliscaulian Order. In 1454, following a merger with the priory of Urqu ...

. In 1902 he built Firhall in Wickham Terrace where he resided and practised. Hardie was a capable family physician and popular with patients in all levels of society. He won many distinctions and became Queensland president of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

in 1910 and 1920. He was a foundation member of the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Senate between 1911 and 1916 and chaired the Emmanuel College Council from 1911 to 1940. He joined the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

and served with it in France in 1915-16. Hardie was a staunch Presbyterian and after the war he became the first chairman of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association. He was an honorary physician for years to the Hospital for Sick Children, the Lady Bowen Hospital and the Lady Lamington Hospital and also served on the Central Board of Health from 1894 to 1915 and the Medical Board of Queensland from 1894 to 1934. He published numerous journal articles and one book in 1893, Notes on Some of the More Common Diseases in Queensland in Relation to Atmospheric Conditions. Hardie retired from active practice in 1922 and investigated the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1922 and 1923 on behalf of the Queensland government. In 1927 he became a founding fellow of the (Royal) Australasian College of Surgeons. He helped form the Rev. John Flynn's Aerial Medical Service of the

Australian Inland Mission The Australian Presbyterian Mission was founded by the Presbyterian Church of Australia to reach those "beyond the farthest fence" with God's Word. It is better known as the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). Rev. John Flynn was the first superi ...

from 1928 and fostered the development of

Alfred Traeger Alfred Hermann Traeger (2 August 1895 – 31 July 1980), known as Alf Traeger, was an Australian engineer and inventor, chiefly known for the development of the pedal radio. Early life and education Traeger was born at Glenlee, near Dimboola ...

pedal radio Human power is work or energy that is produced from the human body. It can also refer to the power (rate of work per time) of a human. Power comes primarily from muscles, but body heat is also used to do work like warming shelters, food, or other ...

. Sir David Hardie died in Brisbane and was cremated. His patients had ranged from the vice-regal to the humblest citizen. He was survived by his wife and three children. His son John later followed in his father's footsteps as a distinguished GP. He was awarded the Military Cross during his medical war service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Honours

On the recommendation of the Denham ministry, he was awarded a Knighthood Kt in the New Year honours list for 1913 and thus became Queensland's first medical Knight. In 1919 the University of Aberdeen awarded him an honorary LL.D.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardie, David People from Elgin, Moray Australian general practitioners 1856 births 1945 deaths Knights Bachelor People from the Colony of Victoria 19th-century Australian medical doctors