Franz Konrad Saddler Hirschfeld CBE (1904-1987) was an Australian medical practitioner and surgeon. He pioneered thoracic surgeries in Australia. He became a university academic, administrator and medical historian.

Early life

Franz Konrad Saddler Hirschfeld was born on 26 April 1904 in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, the son of Dr Eugen Hirschfeld, a Prussian physician and Consul to Brisbane, and his Australian wife Annie. Konrad attended the Brisbane Normal School and Brisbane Grammar School. He won a scholarship to attend 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 ...

completing his first year of a science degree with the intention of pursuing medicine like his father Eugen Hirschfeld and brother

Otto Hirschfeld Otto Hirschfeld (March 16, 1843 – March 27, 1922) was a German epigraphist and professor of ancient history who was a native of Königsberg. In 1863 received a doctorate from the University of Königsberg, and in 1869 became a professor at th ...

in 1924. He moved to Melbourne and entered

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in 1925 while studying medicine at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, where he obtained first class honours in anatomy in 1926. Hirschfeld was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1927. He studied at the London Hospital, and graduated in 1930 with first class honours in physiology and the Gotch Memorial Prize.

Medical career

Hirschfeld was appointed house surgeon in 1931 at the

London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and sp ...

and obtained his FRCS in 1932. He went on to be surgical registrar and first assistant at the London. He worked with colleagues Henry Souttar, James Walton and Hugh Cairns. He subsequently worked at the

Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th Century In the 19th century, consumption was a co ...

with

Tudor Edwards Arthur Tudor Edwards (7 March 1890 – 25 August 1946) was a Welsh thoracic surgeon, who worked at the Westminster Hospital, the Royal Brompton Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton and pioneered lung surgery in particularly pulmona ...

and Price Thomas for almost two years. Hirschfeld returned to Australia and was appointed junior surgeon to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in 1938. His special interest was

thoracic surgery Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal stru ...

and he continued as surgeon in this specialisation until his retirement in 1964. He married Brigid Cooney from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1939.

War service

Hirschfeld served as specialist in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) between 1941-1946.

Later career

Hirschfeld conducted the first successful

pneumonectomy A pneumonectomy (or pneumectomy) is a surgical procedure to remove a lung first successfully done in 1933 by Dr. Evarts Graham. This is not to be confused with a lobectomy or segmentectomy, which only removes one part of the lung. There are two ...

and oesophagectomy surgeries in Queensland. Hirschfeld was honoured with a Master of Arts from the University of Queensland in 1965 and a doctorate of surgery in 1982. He was active member of the University of Queensland serving in teaching roles. He was a dedicated medical historian and curated the Royal Brisbane Hospital's medical museum which collected many old surgical instruments and other medical equipment. He was interested in military footwear and was the official advisor of the Pacific Island Regiment from 1958-1962 on this topic. He was on the University of Queensland Senate from 1966-1986.

Memberships and awards

Life Governor of the Australian Postgraduate Medical Federation Fellow – Australian Medical Association

Commander 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 ...

(1978)

Legacy

Hirschfeld died on 10 March 1987. His daughter Mary Mahoney (nee Hirschfeld) also pursued medicine. His daughter Roisin Goss (nee Hirschfeld), was wife of Queensland's 34th Premier,

Wayne Goss Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over thirty two years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solic ...

. The Marks-Hirschfeld Medical History Museum at the Royal Brisbane Hospital is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschfeld, Konrad 1904 births 1987 deaths Australian surgeons 20th-century surgeons Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne)