Sir John Macpherson, the first but sometimes overlooked Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney.

OBJECTIVE: To chronicle the creation of the Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, and the career and legacy, in New South Wales, of the first incumbent, Professor Sir John Macpherson CB MD FRCPE. CONCLUSIONS: The creation of the Chair, Macpherson's appointment, and his contributions to psychiatry in Sydney during the 52 months of his tenure, are well documented in contemporaneous sources and demonstrate that he was a very worthy Foundation Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney. There are several possible reasons why Macpherson has been overlooked, including an erroneous statement in The World History of Psychiatry (1975) that William Siegfried Dawson, his successor from 1927 to 1952, was the first Professor of Psychiatry.

John Irvine Hunter (1898-1924): Australian Anatomist and Medical Educator.

This paper focuses on the short, but brilliant career of the Australian anatomist and medical educator, John Irvine Hunter. Hunter's biography is presented within the context of the early twentieth century anatomy and medical education. John Irvine Hunter was not only the youngest ever Professor of Anatomy at the University of Sydney, but he was also undeniably brilliant with regard to teaching and researching anatomy, physiology and anthropology. While his short career answered many questions in these fields, it raised more questions regarding what Hunter may have accomplished if only he had been given the chance. These unanswered questions have spawned what we now affectionately refer to as the "Hunter Legend". His most ambitious work on the dual innervation of striated muscle, while eventually disproven, formed an important stepping-stone in the bridging of anatomy and physiology. His thought-provoking concepts were viewed with much intrigue, and at the time were very well received. CONCLUSION: Hunter remains one of the most prominent and inspiring figures in the history of Australian anatomy and medicine.

Cris never left you wondering about where you stood! His motto was: Just do it!

In this commentary, we reflect on our experiences being PhD students of Prof. Cris dos Remedios in the Muscle Research Unit at The University of Sydney at the turn of the new millennium. Cris was/is an example of a fine scientist and a great academic mentor for us and so many others (scientists, academics, surgeons, medical doctors and health professionals) who carry the legacy and traditions of Cris dos Remedios into the future.