The Ever Open Door - a History of The Royal Melbourne Hospital
by Dr Alan Gregory, 1998  
  




Since 1848, Melbourne's first public hospital has been serving all Victorians. From a 10-bed hospital
for the poor it has grown into a leading provider of health care services and a world-renowned centre for medical research and education.

The Ever Open Door tells the story of this cherished Melbourne institution, which has survived the hardships and severe sanitation problems of the 1800s and the ordeals of boom and depression.

Against the background of the main personalities involved, Alan Gregory's fascinating history traces the developments of this great hospital from its most humble beginnings to the modern day.

Covering the period 1848-1998, with more than 500 pages of text and 100 historical photographs and illustrations, The Ever Open Door captures the special 'spirit of the place' and its rich traditions.

 Being There: the story of nursing at the Melbourne Hospital 
by Susan Sherson, 2005
Published by the RMH Graduate Nurses' Association

The story starts in the 1840s when Melbourne was a small settlement and funds were raised to provide care for the sick and the poor, and interweaves the theme of nursing with the history of Melbourne and Victoria over more than 150 years.

From its beginnings to the present day, the story of nurses at 'The Melbourne' is a story of Melbourne, of constant social change, of developing professionalism and women's rights, of excellence in nursing care and influence that has spread throughout Australia and abroad.

It is not exaggerating to say that 'Melbourne nurses' have been everywhere and done everything. Some of their extraordinary stories are captured in the book, which also contains an appendix of all nurses who graduated (RMH and MSN) in the formal training years of 1890-1993.

Sue Sherson is an RMH nurse educator, author and ethicist, who trained at the Royal Melbourne. Her book House of Love, documenting the role of the first Australian surgical team to arrive in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, was published in 1966.

Ordering copies

For order enquiries about either of the above publications, please contact the RMH Foundation on telephone
(03) 9342 7371 or fax (03) 9342 8407.

Prices:

The Ever Open Door - $44.00 plus $8.50 postage.

Being There - $55.00 plus $8.50 postage. Includes a copy of the nurses' index.
The index can also be purchased separately: email Arlene Bennett or phone 0419 527 273.

External publications

Against the Odds: Albert Coates - a Heroic Life
by Walter Gherardin, 2009
Published by the Albert Coates Memorial Trust

This is the most comprehensive biography produced on the RMH surgeon, renowned educator and medical hero on the Burma-Siam railway in World War II, and fills a gap in our knowledge of the life and thought of
Sir Albert Coates (1895 - 1977). 

To obtain a copy, send $AUS25 plus $AUS8 postage to Albert Coates Memorial Trust, P.O. Box 2478, Bakery Hill, Victoria, Australia 3354. A tax deductible receipt will be issued. Proceeds aid the Trust's annual student educational awards.