Sunderland, Sydney (1910 - 1993)

Summary

Sydney Sunderland was a neurologist recognised internationally for his research into nerve injuries and their treatment. He was offered the professorship in anatomy at the University of Melbourne in 1938: before assuming the position in 1940 he travelled in North America and Europe, visiting institutions and prominent people in his discipline and becoming familiar with the latest experimental techniques. Finding the University labouring under wartime constraints, Sunderland shouldered most of the teaching and administrative burden for his department. He became visiting specialist at the 115th Australian Military Hospital. In treating soldiers suffering from peripheral nerve injuries he was able to expand his research in this field. One of his major books, Nerves and nerve injuries (1968) resulted from this research. Under Sunderland's guidance as Dean, the Faculty of Medicine at the University became one of the foremost academic institutions in Australia. He was able to exercise his political acuity to influence the expansion of the university sector, and considerably expand his faculty. After he retired in 1971 Sunderland continued his research at the University, publishing his last book Nerve injuries and their repair: a critical appraisal in 1990.

Details

Chronology

1935

Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB), Bachelor of Surgery (BS), University of Melbourne

1936

Career position - Senior Lecturer in anatomy, University of Melbourne

1936

Career position - Assistant neurologist, Alfred Hospital

1937 - 1938

Career position - Demonstrator, Department of Human Anatomy, University of Oxford

1939 - 1961

Career position - Professor of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne

1945

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Melbourne

1946

Education - Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Melbourne

1951

Career position - Member of Council, University of Melbourne

1953 - 1954

Career position - Visiting Professor, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

1953 - 1971

Career position - Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne

1953 - 1993

Award - Petitioner for the Academy, Founding Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1961

Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) - Chairman - Radiation Advisory Committee

1961 - 1975

Career position - Professor of Experimental Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne

1962 - 1975

Career position - Member, Australian Universities Commission

1968

Career event - Published book: Nerves and nerve injuries

1971

Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt) - Dean of Medicine at the University of Melbourne

1975

Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne

1975

Award - Doctor of Medicine (MD), honoris causa, University of Queensland

1977

Career position - Visiting Professor, University of California, U.S.A.

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Sunderland, Sydney, Nerves and nerve injuries (Edinburgh: E. and S. Livingstone, 1968), 116 pp. Details
• Sunderland, Sydney, Nerve injuries and their repair: a critical appraisal (New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1990), 500 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Jones, Ross L., 'Sunderland, Sir Sydney (Syd) (1910-1993), professor of experimental neurology' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995 A-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), pp. 802-803, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sunderland-sir-sydney-syd-26721. Details
• Sunderland, S., 'The Cox-Trumble contribution to Australian neurology' in Neurology in Australia, Morris, J., ed. (Sydney: Australian Association of Neurologists, 1994), pp. 99-111. Details

Journal Articles

• Darian-Smith, I, 'Sydney Sunderland 1910-1993', Historical Records of Australian Science, 11 (1) (1996), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9961110051. Details
• Davis, Gavin A., 'Reflections on the history of nerve repair: Sir Sydney Sunderland's final presentation to the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia', Neurosurgery, 87 (3) (2020), E373-82. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyaa059. Details
• Narakas, A. O., 'In tribute - Professor Emeritus Sir Sydney Sunderland, KT(1971), C.M.G.(1961), M.D., B.S., D.Sc., Hon.LL.D.(Melb., Mon.), Hon.M.O.(Qld.,Tas.), F.R.A.C.P., F.R.A.C.S.(Hon.), F.A.A. - December 31st, 1910 - August 27th, 1993', Microsurgery, 15 (1994), 163-4. Details
• Omer, G. E., 'In memoriam - Sir Sydney Sunderland, KT, CMG, BM, Dsc, MD, FRACP, FAASc 1910-1993', Journal of hand surgery, 19 (1994), 159-60. Details
• Ryan, Graeme B., 'Professor Emeritus Sir Sydney Sunderland', Journal of anatomy, 187 (1) (1995), 249-51. Details
• Simpson, D., 'From Lanfranc to Sunderland: the surgery of peripheral nerve injuries', ANZ journal of surgery, 79 (12) (2009), 930-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.05147.x. Details
• Siqueira, Mario Gilberto; and Kline, David Gellinger, 'Sir Sydney Sunderland and the Sunderland Society', Journal of neurosurgery, 129 (5) (2018), 1325-30. https://doi.org/10.3171/2017.7.JNS171110. Details
• Sunderland, S., 'Edgar Samuel John King', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 1 (2) (1967), 87-96. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9670120087.htm. Details
• Sunderland, Sydney, 'The Melbourne Medical School and some of Its "characters" 1931 - 1975', Chiron: journal of the University of Melbourne Medical Society, 2 (2) (1992), 45-52. Details
• Sunderland, Sydney; [and others], 'The Austin Hospital clinical school: twenty-five years of patient care, teaching and research 1966 - 1991', Chiron: journal of the University of Melbourne Medical Society, 2 (5) (1992), 32-40. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q28026190. Details
• 'Sunderland, Sydney (19101231-19930827)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-573989. Details
• 'Awarded honorary LLD, 1975', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details

Resource Sections

• Sunderland, S., 'Edgar Samuel John King 1900-1966', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs/edgar-samuel-john-king-1900-1966. Details

See also

• Jones, Ross L., Humanity's Mirror: 150 years of Anatomy in Melbourne (Haddington Press, 2007), 318 pp. Details
• Jones, Ross L., 'Human remains' in Dhoombak goobgoowana: a history of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne - Volume 1: The Truth, Ross L. Jones, James Waghorne and Marcia Langton, eds (Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 2024), pp. 95-106. https://www.mup.com.au/books/dhoombak-goobgoowana-paperback-softback. Details