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[[File:|200px|thumb|left|District Hospital Board in the 1930s]]


In Sickness and iIn Health; how medicine helped shape Orange's History

Earlier this year we celebrated the opening of the new Orange Health Service on the Bloomfield Campus. The competion of this project was cause for great celebration. Coinciding with this event was the launch of the book, In sickness and in health by Elisabeth Edwards.

This book takes an original approach in exploring how medicine shaped the history of Orange and the surrounding districts from the earliest days of settlement. It depicts the hardships experienced by settlers before there were doctors, dentists or hospitals, and the evolution of the public hospital from the small District Hospital in Anson Street to the 21st century Base Hospital on the Bloomfield campus which was opened in March this year.

It also shows how the myriad small private hospitals played a significant role in caring for maternity cases as well as the sick and injured. It records the development of medical technology and its vital role in providing quality health care. Most importantly, it tells the stories of the doctors, nurses, ancillary staff, volunteers and benefactors who have collectively ensured the very best care for patients over many years.

Here's an excerpt:


Orange is renowned today as a centre of medical excellence, but readers may be surprised at the level of competency in the operating room at Orange District Hospital as early as 1901. During that year 87 operations were performed, including 34 major procedures. These included: removal of appendix (3); radical cure of hernia; removal of breast (2); removal of stones from gall bladder, bladder and kidney.

In 1902-3 major operations included: removal of a tongue; removal of hydatid cysts; extraction of a bullet; a hernia cure; removal of upper jaw; fixing a floating kidney; curing a fractured spine; amputation of an arm; removal of gallstones; seven appendicitis operations; amputation of a cancerous lip; removal of a clot of blood from near the heart; and trephining (perforating) the glands of the neck.

In 1909 surgeons at Orange District Hospital successfully removed two small pieces of bone from the head of Miss Rosie Lehmann, who had been injured the previous year when Wirth Bros’ circus tent collapsed in Orange.

Orange is also renowned because of the number of specialist medical services available in the city. The start of specialist services can be traced to an operation performed by Dr Neville Howse, in company with Dr Percy Dean Bray, in February 1904. Cargo Road farmer James McCutcheon had been suffering from a disease of the eyeball for some years and it was decided that the eye should be removed. The operation was successfully performed and the patient was alleviated of much pain associated with the diseased eye. Drs Howse and Bray did not specialise in eye surgery but like many surgeons at that time they were skilled enough to perform such an operation

How can you be part of this?

The launch of this 150 year Wiki gives all of the community the opportunity to contribute their stories about the people, places, services and events that have contributed to the history of local government in Orange. We've included some stories to get you started but this is very much a work in progress and will be dependent on you supplying us with information to build this resource. You can find further details at the Community Portal link on the navigation bar to the left. We look forward to hearing from you; email us

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