Marjorie Clare Dalgarno (1901–1983) was an Australian

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

and a pioneer of

mammography Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...

. She performed the first mammogram in Australia at the

Rachel Forster Hospital The Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children opened on 3 January 1922 in Redfern (an inner suburb of Sydney, Australia) as the 'New Hospital'. In 1925 the hospital was renamed after Baroness Rachel Forster, the wife of the then Governor- ...

and demonstrated the benefits of mammography as a

breast cancer screening Breast cancer screening is the medical screening of asymptomatic, apparently healthy women for breast cancer in an attempt to achieve an earlier diagnosis. The assumption is that early detection will improve outcomes. A number of screening tests ...

tool.

Biography

Dalgarno was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1901 and studied medicine 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 ...

Women's College Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

. She graduated in 1925 and was hired as a resident medical officer at the

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School ...

, where she worked in the

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

department. After marrying Harold McCredie, a general practitioner, in 1928, she established a radiological practice based out of their home in Campsie. Her home practice included an

x-ray machine An X-ray machine is any machine that involves X-rays. It may consist of an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector. Examples include: *Machines for medical projectional radiography *Machines for computed tomography *Backscatter X-ray machines, used ...

installed in the dining room and a laundry that was converted into a

darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, to make prints and to carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of the light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and ph ...

for developing x-ray films. In 1939, she began working at the

in Redfern and the Renwick Hospital for Infants in Summer Hill; she also worked at the Western Suburbs Hospital in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

during World War II. In 1949, Dalgarno and her partner Mollie Cronin opened a new practice on Macquarie Street in central Sydney. She also continued to work at the Rachel Forster Hospital, where Kathleen Cuningham had established a clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of

breast lump A breast mass, also known as a breast lump, is a localized swelling that feel different from the surrounding tissue. Breast pain, nipple discharge, or skin changes may be present. Concerning findings include masses that are hard, do not move e ...

s. Dalgarno modified an x-ray machine so that it could be used to produce

mammogram Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...

s (low-energy x-rays of the breasts), and in the early 1950s she performed the first mammogram in Australia. In a study of 1000 asymptomatic women, she demonstrated the benefits of mammography as a

screening Screening may refer to: * Screening cultures, a type a medical test that is done to find an infection * Screening (economics), a strategy of combating adverse selection (includes sorting resumes to select employees) * Screening (environmental), a ...

tool to detect and treat breast cancer in its early stages, but widespread use of mammography was unfeasible at the time due to technological limitations and high radiation doses. Dalgarno died in 1983.

Legacy

Australia adopted a national

program three decades after Dalgarno's work on mammography. BreastScreen, an Australian organisation that provides free breast cancer screening for eligible women, named one of their mobile screening buses "Marjorie" in honour of Dalgarno.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalgarno, Marjorie 1901 births 1983 deaths Australian radiologists Sydney Medical School alumni 20th-century Australian medical doctors Medical doctors from Sydney Women radiologists