History
In 1956 there were 6 registered Plastic surgeons in
South Africa.
Dr.Jack Penn , the senior surgeon,
had returned to South Africa in 1941 from England and
had founded the Brenthurst Clinic to deal with the
efinitive of war. After the war he started private
practice in Johannesburg and was joined in this town by
Dr.James Cuthbert and Dr. Dennis Walker, who were
responsible for running the teaching unit at the general
hospital. In Cape Town Dr. Norman Petersen and Dr.
D.S.Davies had founded the teaching unit at Groote
Schuur hospital and at the University of Natal and
Wentworth hospital Dr. B.W.Franklin Bishop had followed
suit.
In August 1956 a meeting was convened at
the Brenthurst Clinic to which all the registered
Plastic Surgeons were invited for the purpose of forming
an Association of Plastic Surgeons of Southern Africa .
The British Association of Plastic Surgeons had been
formed 10 years earlier in 1946 and it is significant
that one of the young surgeons delegated to draft their
constitution was present at our inauguration – Dr. James
Cuthbert. At this meeting Dr. Jack Penn was elected
first President and D. Walker, Hon.Secretary/Treasurer.
At the following meeting in February 1957 it was
announced that these prominent surgeons had gladly
accepted Honorary Membership of our association:
- Sir Harold Gillies
- Sir Archibald McIndoe
- Prof. Pomfret Kilner
- Mr. Rainsford Mowlem
- Dr. Sterling Bunnell
- Dr. James Barrett Brown
- Dr. Robert Ivy
- Dr. Jerome P. Webster
- Dr A Aiache
- Prof H Anderl
- DR R A Barnette
- Prof J J Baudet
- Prof B Bauer
- Dr H Becker
- Dr D C Birdsell
- Dr T R Broadbent
- Dr S Byrd
- Dr B Cannon
- Dr C Castanares
- Dr J H Carraway
- Prof R Chase
- Prof Yu-Ray Chen
- Dr M Cohen
- Dr R O Dingman
- Dr R Ellenbogen
- DR M W J Ferguson
- Dr D Furnas
- Dr M Gonzales-Ulloa
- Prof U T Hinderer
- Prof H Holstrom
- Dr C Horton
- Dr I Jackson
- Dr B Jones
- Prof M Lejour
- Dr W Losken
- Dr E Manders
- Prof D Marchac
- Prof G Matton
- Dr P Maxwell
- Dr J May
- Prof D A Mc Grouther
- Prof W Morrison
- Dr W Muhlbauer
- Dr I Munro
- Dr F Nahai
- Dr F Nicholle
- Dr S Noordhoff
- Dr F Ortiz-Monasterio
- Dr C Perlyn
- Dr R Piggott
- Prof I Pitanguy
- Dr M Poole
- Prof J Pribaz
- Mr A H N Roberts
- Dr BC Sommerlad
- Dr S Spear
- Dr G (Ian) Taylor
- Dr P Tessier
- Dr C van der Kolk
- Dr J van der Meulen
- Dr B Zide
Prof. Pomfret Kilner had agreed to attend a Medical
Assocation meeting to be held in Durban in September
1957 and present a paper. This he did with great success
and during our subsequent AGM he presented our
association with an ebony and silver gavel as a
welcoming gift from the British Association of Plastic
Surgeons and he took the opportunity to welcome us into
the world fellowship of plastic surgeons.
By 1962
we had more than 10 full members and well established
teaching units in each major centre. Dr. David Davies
proposed that we should apply to the Medical Association
for recognition as a group. This was done and our
association started its explosive growth to its present
day membership