Carrick Robertson

Sir Carrick Hey Robertson (27 August 1879 – 14 July 1963) was a Scottish-born New Zealand surgeon who specialised in goitre and neurosurgery. He practised at Auckland Hospital and the Mater Misericordiae Hospital.

Carrick Robertson
Born	Carrick Hey Robertson (1879-08-27)27 August 1879 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	14 July 1963(1963-07-14) (aged 83) Auckland, New Zealand
Education	University of London, Guy's Hospital
Occupation	Surgeon
Medical career
Field	Neurosurgery

Early life and education

Robertson was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1879.^[1] He attended St Dunstan's College in London and then trained at Guy's Hospital and the University of London where he graduated in 1902.^[2][1]

Career

Robertson practiced in Natal, South Africa for two years before emigrating to New Zealand where he took up the position of surgeon at Waihi Hospital.^[1] He spent five years as superintendent of the hospital before moving to private practice in Auckland as well as an honorary surgeon at Auckland Hospital.^[2][1]

In the First World War Robertson served as a temporary major from 1915 to 1916 in the New Zealand Medical Corps on board the hospital ship Marama.^[1][3]

Robertson was a recognised expert in surgery for goitre (then common in New Zealand) and was a national pioneer of neurosurgery.^[2][1] He and Dr Casement Aickin performed the first heart operation in Auckland and probably New Zealand in 1927 but the patient did not survive.^[1][4] He developed surgery at Auckland Hospital and played an influential role in the development of surgical services at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital.^[2] In 1937 he retired from his position as honorary surgeon at Auckland Hospital but continued as a surgeon at the Mater where he was a lecturer at the nursing school.^[1] He was medical superintendent at the Mater from 1937 to 1953.^[5]

In 1924 Robertson was made an honorary fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was a founding fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and in 1947 made an honorary fellow of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland.^[2]

Honours and awards

Robertson was awarded the British War Medal 1914–1920.^[3] He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1929 New Year Honours and knighted at an investiture in St James's Palace, London.^[1] In 1938 he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.^[2][1]

Personal life

Robertson was married twice and had four children with his first wife Constance who died in 1950. He married his second wife Delta Clark in 1957.^[1] Robertson lived at Rannoch a historic house in Almorah Rd from 1932 to 1963.^[6]

From 1936–37 he was president of the Auckland Institute and Museum.^[1]

Death and legacy

Robertson died on 14 July 1963 at the Mater Hospital.^[1] He was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.^[7]

The Carrick Robertson Prize is a surgery prize awarded to a student at the University of Auckland Medical School.^[8]

Selected publications

• Robertson, C. H. (1909). "Acute Pancreatitis Followed by Pancreatic Abscess: Operation: Recovery". British Medical Journal. 1 (2508): 211–212. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.2508.211. PMC 2317898. PMID 20764267.
• Sweet, G. B.; Robertson, C. (1927). "A Case of Congenital Atresia of the Jejunum (With Recovery)". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2 (9): 186–188. doi:10.1136/adc.2.9.186. PMC 1974959. PMID 21031694.
• Robertson, Carrick (1945). "Malignant Exophthalmos or Exophthalmic Ophthalmoplegia". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery. 14 (4): 262–265. doi:10.1111/j.1445-2197.1945.tb02953.x.
• Robertson, C. (1948). "Thyrotoxicosis". Postgraduate Medical Journal. 24 (277): 571–578. doi:10.1136/pgmj.24.277.571. PMC 2529825. PMID 18105125.