The Cowlishaw Symposium

To honour the memories of Dr Leslie Cowlishaw and Professor Kenneth Russell, and to promote greater knowledge of medical history, the College holds the Cowlishaw Symposium every two years. Speakers are invited to present papers on topics drawn from the books in the Cowlishaw Collection. A feature of the Symposium is the Kenneth Fitzpatrick Russell Memorial Lecture, on a subject related to anatomy and/or medical history. Established in 1996, the Symposium is now one of the most important events in the College's calendar.

The 2025 Cowlishaw Symposium will take place on Saturday 26 July, 2025 at the RACS Victorian headquarters (250-290 Spring Street, East Melbourne) from 10.00am to 5.00pm AEST. The Cowlishaw Symposium will be part of the Melbourne Rare Book Week festival.

For further information and to register

You can download past Cowlishaw Sympoisum programs by clicking on the links below:

1996 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 7.51MB)

1998 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 6.03MB)

2000 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 3.85MB)

2002 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 5.83MB)

2004 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 6.03MB)

2006 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 7.71MB)

2008 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 5.35MB)

2012 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 829.99KB)

2014 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 6.62MB)

2016 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 1.04MB)

2018 Cowlishaw Symposium Program (PDF 942.72KB)

For further information contact the College Curator.

College Curator
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9276 7447
Email:[email protected]