University of Sydney Medical Journal 2005 launched

Left: Ben Robinson and Simon Quilty with Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, Governor of NSW

The Sydney University Medical Society launched the 2005 Sydney University Medical Journal on 1st April 2005. This year’s journal marks the hundredth year since it was first published.

The launch, held in the Macleay Museum included a panel discussion on how medical students can become more socially-aware participants in the community, advocating for health and humanitarian issues. Panelists included Professor Bruce Armstrong, Head of the School, School of Public Health, Dr Helen Caldicott, Founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Dr Gillian Deakin, Director of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War and alumna of the Faculty of Medicine and Azhar Munas, a Year 4 medicine student representative. Special guests at the launch included, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, Governor of NSW, who gave the keynote address, and Mr Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia, 1972-1975.

“The journal demonstrates the intellectual diversity of our medical students and serves as a valuable outlet for creativity when students are so busy with their medical studies," said Simon Quilty, Chief Editor.

“A broad theme is evident in contributions this year, medical students are very consciously engaging with larger social welfare, policy and humanitarian issues”, said Ben Robinson, member of the editorial team and organiser of the event.

“This year’s edition of the journal, has been called the Centenary Edition”, says Simon Quilty. “However, there is some controversy over the anniversary. The earliest copy on the bookcase is Volume 11, put to print in 1916. Working backwards, and by reference to numerous articles published in the journal and other publications throughout the years, we worked out that the first edition was published in 1905.”

And so the search began to find the enigmatic ‘Volume One’. “Deep in Fisher Library’s rare books catalogue are records of this first journal, but it is not there, and its contents remain a mystery", Simon Quilty says.

The only mystery in the 2005 edition is the real identity of the winner of the Purser Prize; the prize for the best contribution to the journal named after the founding editor of the journal. The prize was awarded by Professor Andrew Coats, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, to medical student Louise Wisser for her piece, ‘In the City of Habit’ written under the pen name of Malila Kararli.

Professor Coats closed the event by commenting, “the present generation of medical students has both the passion and the desire to care, the future of medical graduates looks very bright indeed.”