Patrick H MacAuley: Patrick H MacAuley, who died last month aged 81, was a major figure in the development and provision of orthopaedic services in Ireland.
He was appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street, and Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in 1955, where he remained on the staff for 34 years.
He came from a strong family tradition of surgery. His father, Charles, was a consultant surgeon to the Mater Hospital, as was his uncle, Harry.
Paddy Mac, as he was known, qualified between 1948 and 1954. After internship in the Mater, he travelled to the Leicester Royal Infirmary where he was a surgical house officer. He then returned to the Mater where he was appointed casualty officer, the first such appointment in Dublin.
He also served there as surgical registrar and then went to the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Shropshire where he furthered his orthopaedic surgical training. His time there was influenced by Sir Reginald Watson-Jones and Sir Henry Osmond Clarke. The latter in particular encouraged him to take a special interest in the proper care of musculo-skeletal trauma.
As orthopaedic surgeon to the Mater, MacAuley was responsible for initiating the first fracture clinics in Dublin city. His wish to expand orthopaedic services was also evidenced by the appointment of additional orthopaedic surgeons in all the hospitals in which he was a consultant.
His main interest was in paediatric orthopaedic surgery and he developed an extensive practice in this area, initially based at Cappagh, which he subsequently transferred to Temple Street.
He was a pioneer in Ireland in the field of surgical correction of unequal limb length. He also recognised the significance of innominate osteotomy of the pelvis, as described by Robert Salter, in treating congenital dislocation of the hip. He was an early advocate of this procedure and became a master technician of the operation.
He also recognised the great advantage of minimally invasive surgery, particularly with reference to the knee, and he practised as a skilled arthroscopist for the last five years of his surgical life.
Structured training of surgeons became appropriate in the early 1970s, as until then their training had been relatively speaking an ad-hoc apprenticeship. MacAuley was the main instigator of structured training in his speciality in Ireland.
He was the first Irish orthopaedic surgeon to be admitted to the court of examiners for the fellowship in orthopaedic surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, and was also the first appointed to the specialist advisory committee in orthopaedic surgery of the our royal colleges.
He was appointed to the fourth and fifth Comhairle na nOspidéal, where he produced a significant report on the development of his speciality which was to act as a foundation document for its development. He was also in 1971 president of the Irish Medical Association.
Outside medicine he was a keen sportsman; he played rugby for UCD, Lansdowne and Leicester, and played for Merrion Cricket Club. He was a member of Portmarnock and Doks golf clubs.
A strict but fair man, he expected total commitment from junior staff and in return loyally supported them in the development of their careers. Those who showed a flair for surgery and in particular orthopaedic surgery were actively encouraged. At the time of his retirement, more than half the practising consultant orthopaedic surgeons in State had worked with him as part of their training.
He is survived by his wife Lou, son Niall, daughter Elizabeth and three grandchildren.
Patrick H MacAuley: born May 26th, 1924; died January 27th, 2006