– 150 years of history at The Royal Children’s Hospital –
A concise and chronological record of the rich and diverse 150-year history of The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).
Please feel free to scroll through all 150 years or easily filter information via categories or tags.
The historical images have been sourced from the RCH Archives and Collections, unless stated otherwise.
Images have been chosen to illustrate the subject matter and may not necessarily reflect the date of the event.
The RCH has produced such an immense amount of groundbreaking achievements and we cannot assume to have captured them all here.
Do you think an achievement, person, or event is missing? Please send your suggestion to: archives@rch.org.au. We hope you enjoy exploring!
Showing Events Tagged with: treatments
1921
Discovery of Insulin
Discovered in Canada, insulin has saved lives worldwide.
1925
Polio Serum Trials
First use of human immune serum delivered in the pre-paralytic stage of polio. Research into the serum saw its use discontinued.
Heliotherapy Introduced to Australia
Doctors who had worked in Europe during the war brought the concept of heliotherapy to Australia. Mr Wilfred Kent Hughes was a particularly strong advocate for the treatment style and a heliotherapy ward was opened at the Hampton Convalescent Home.
1944
Beginning of the Antibiotic Era
First discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928, antibiotics entered general use at the hospital in the 1940s.
1947
Antibiotic Streptomycin Tuberculosis Treatment
Dr Stanley Williams applied the hospital’s first treatment of tuberculosis with streptomycin.
1948
First Trials of Leukaemia Treatment
Led by Dr John Colebatch AO, the hospital implemented the world’s first controlled trial of chemotherapy treatments for leukaemia - previously considered untreatable.
1976
Splint Shop Became Orthotic Department
From the 1950s, due to increased efficacy and implementation of immunisation, contagious diseases such as bone tuberculosis began to decline. With the diminished need for splints, in the 1970s the Splint Shop began to serve a wider range of conditions, using synthetic materials to create orthoses and prosthetics.
1991
Music Therapy Program Established
Funded by the University of Melbourne.
1992
Introduction of High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation
2005
First Hospital in Australia to Offer Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) to Children
VAD was used to replace the function of a failing heart while a patient waited for a heart transplant.
2019
Cancer-killing CAR T-cell Immunotherapy
This therapy was brought into use at the hospital, making it freely available for the first time in Australia.
