Photograph of Archibald Watson (taken around 1890)

Archibald Watson FRCS (1849 – 1940) was an Australian surgeon and professor of anatomy at the University of Adelaide. He is commemorated in the prestigious Archibald Watson Lecture of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

The 2018 lecture was given by Peter Burke a member of the BSHM. Peter’s lecture graphically illustrates the colourful career of this brilliant but mercurial man.

Watson’s medical education included study in England, France, and Germany. He entered and passed the ‘College and Hall’ in London (MRCS and LSA) and was later awarded 2 MDs and FRCS. During his life, Watson served in the Boer War and World War 1 and travelled widely. He taught anatomy, pathology and operative surgery in Adelaide and achieved an unrivalled reputation as a teacher and consultant.

Peter Burke’s lecture can be viewed at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lPm7NtIbUceNwGKDJCMd8GnHC1lg8oSJ/view?usp=sharing

Chris Derrett