• Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Careers
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Library
  • Sign In

  • Become a surgeon
  • Trainees
  • Fellows
  • SIMGs
  • Research & audit

Key Information

  • About specialist surgeons
  • How do I become a surgeon?
  • Selection process and requirements
  • Admission to Fellowship
  • International surgical training
  • View all

Resources

  • eLearning courses & resources
  • College events
  • Interest groups and sections

Key Information

  • Trainee Association (RACSTA)
  • The surgical training program
  • Surgical specialties
  • Examinations
  • Training post accreditation
  • View all

Education for Trainees

  • Skills training courses
  • eLearning courses & resources
  • Professional development courses
  • Specialist training program
  • Library
  • View all

Resources

  • Training standards for surgeons
  • Surgeons wellbeing
  • College events
  • Interest groups and sections
  • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)
  • View all

Key Information and resources

  • 'Find a Surgeon' & 'practice card'
  • Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
  • Reports, guidelines & publications
  • Fellowship
  • Interest groups and sections
  • View all

Fellowship Education and Training

  • eLearning courses & resources
  • Skills training courses
  • Surgeons wellbeing
  • Professional development courses
  • Library
  • View all

For supervisors, educators and trainers

  • Academy of Surgical Educators
  • Supervisor Support Hub
  • RACS skills & education centre
  • Become a mentor
  • Post-fellowship training
  • View all

Key Information

  • Pathways
  • SET as a SIMG
  • SIMG overview
  • Application process
  • SIMG assessments
  • View all

Education for SIMGs

  • eLearning courses & resources
  • Skills training courses
  • Professional development courses
  • Library

Resources

  • Surgeons wellbeing
  • Maintenance of Professional Standards
  • Contacts, guidelines and forms
  • Member benefits & services
  • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)

Key Information

  • Surgical mortality audits
  • Morbidity audits
  • Research & Evaluation, inc. ASERNIP-S
  • Laparoscopic skills training
  • Trauma Verification program
  • View all

Resources

  • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)
  • My audits
  • College events
  • Interest groups and sections
  • Books & merchandise
  • View all
  • RACS login
    Sign In
  • Become a surgeon
    • Key Information

      Key Information

      • About specialist surgeons
      • How do I become a surgeon?
      • Selection process and requirements
      • Admission to Fellowship
      • International surgical training
      • View all
    • Resources

      Resources

      • eLearning courses & resources
      • College events
      • Interest groups and sections
  • Trainees
    • Key Information

      Key Information

      • Trainee Association (RACSTA)
      • The surgical training program
      • Surgical specialties
      • Examinations
      • Training post accreditation
      • View all
    • Education for Trainees

      Education for Trainees

      • Skills training courses
      • eLearning courses & resources
      • Professional development courses
      • Specialist training program
      • Library
      • View all
    • Resources

      Resources

      • Training standards for surgeons
      • Surgeons wellbeing
      • College events
      • Interest groups and sections
      • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)
      • View all
  • Fellows
    • Key Information

      Key Information and resources

      • 'Find a Surgeon' & 'practice card'
      • Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
      • Reports, guidelines & publications
      • Fellowship
      • Interest groups and sections
      • View all
    • Fellowship Education and Training

      Fellowship Education and Training

      • eLearning courses & resources
      • Skills training courses
      • Surgeons wellbeing
      • Professional development courses
      • Library
      • View all
    • For Educators and Trainers

      For supervisors, educators and trainers

      • Academy of Surgical Educators
      • Supervisor Support Hub
      • RACS skills & education centre
      • Become a mentor
      • Post-fellowship training
      • View all
  • SIMGs
    • Key Information

      Key Information

      • Pathways
      • SET as a SIMG
      • SIMG overview
      • Application process
      • SIMG assessments
      • View all
    • Education for IMGs

    • Resources

      Resources

      • Surgeons wellbeing
      • Maintenance of Professional Standards
      • Contacts, guidelines and forms
      • Member benefits & services
      • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)
  • Research & audit
    • Key Information

      Key Information

      • Surgical mortality audits
      • Morbidity audits
      • Research & Evaluation, inc. ASERNIP-S
      • Laparoscopic skills training
      • Trauma Verification program
      • View all
    • Resources

      Resources

      • Access Morbidity Audit and Logbook Tool (MALT)
      • My audits
      • College events
      • Interest groups and sections
      • Books & merchandise
      • View all
  • Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Careers
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Library
In This Section
  • A brief history
  • Early history
  • Archives
  • Digital exhibitions
  • RACS Archive film collection
  • Collections
  • The Cowlishaw Symposium
  • Symbols of the College
  • Past Office Bearers
  • Publications about RACS History
  • Contact RACS Curator
  • Contact RACS Archivist
  1. HOME
  2. About Racs
  3. About the College of Surgeons
  4. Our heritage & archives
  5. Publications about RACS History

Publications about RACS History

The following publications provide, in significant detail, the rich history of RACS.

On this page

  • Founders of the College
  • History of the College
  • The Mantle of Surgery
  • History of surgery in Australia and New Zealand
  • Anzac Surgeons of Gallipoli

Founders of the College

The Founders of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (PDF 27.82MB), by Sir Patrick Kenny FRACS (ed.), Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, 1984.

History of the College

Celebrating 80 years (PDF 1.04MB), by Gordon Low, RACS, 2007

A brief history of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (PDF 1.6MB), by John Masterton FRACS, 2006

The history of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, 1920-1935 (PDF 8.69MB), by Julian Ormond Smith FRACS, ANZ Journal of Surgery, Volume 41 (1), August 1971

The history of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, 1935-1960 (PDF 2.19MB), by Sir Douglas Miller FRACS, ANZ Journal of Surgery, Volume 41 (4), May 1972

Forty years on: something on south sea surgery and surgeons (PDF 11.08MB), by F. Gordon Bell FRACS, ANZ Journal of Surgery, Volume 39 (1)

The history of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons from foundation to 1935 (PDF 236.59KB), by Andrew Newton, B.A (Hons) thesis, Department of History, Monash University, 1979

An early history of the College by Wyn Beasley FRACS, 2001.

The Mantle of Surgery

The Mantle of Surgery: the first seventy-five years of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons by A.W. Beasley, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, 2002.

The Mantle of Surgery: seventy five years of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons can also be purchased. Fellows of the College who have not yet received their free copy should email college.merchandise@surgeons.org or phone +61 3 9276 7429.

History of surgery in Australia and New Zealand

How surgery came to Australasia (PDF 5.5MB), by Sir D'Arcy Power, Paper read at the opening of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, 1935.

Australian surgeons and society (PDF 6.35MB), by Rowan Nicks, ANZ Journal of Surgery, Vol 50 (6), 1980.

Anzac Surgeons of Gallipoli

Milford, E & Watters, D Anzac Surgeons of Gallipoli, 2015 (PDF 17.28MB)

Back to Our heritage & archives
  • A brief history
  • Early history
  • Archives
  • Digital exhibitions
  • RACS Archive film collection
  • Collections
  • The Cowlishaw Symposium
  • Symbols of the College
  • Past Office Bearers
  • Publications about RACS History
  • Contact RACS Curator
  • Contact RACS Archivist

Related pages

  • Books and Merchandise

Useful links

Back To Top

  • For Patients
  • Find a surgeon

  • Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Careers
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Library
  • Sign in

  • About RACS
  • About the College of Surgeons
  • About RACS offices
  • Global Health
  • Specialty societies & affiliated organisations
  • Surgeons wellbeing
  • About Respect
  • College fees
  • Position papers
  • Policies
  • College events

  • Education
  • Skills training courses
  • Professional Development
  • eLearning courses & resources
  • Specialist Training Program

  • Become a Surgeon
  • About specialist surgeons
  • How do I become a surgeon?
  • Selection requirements
  • International surgical training
  • Admission to Fellowship
  • Fellowship
See all News

  • Australia Day Honours 2021
  • COVID-19 update (21 January)
  • One College Transformation: Making it easier to support you

  • Disclaimer and privacy