Richard Arthur (25 October 1865 – 21 May 1932) was an Australian politician, social reformer and medical practitioner.

Family The son of Rev. David Arthur (1827-1910),Deaths: Arthur, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 24 October 1910), p. 8. and Isabella Arthur (1837–1921), née Simpson,Isabella Arthur, at finadagrave.com. Richard Arthur was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England on 25 October 1865.

He met his wife, Jessie Sinclair Bruce (1886–1959), the daughter of Rev. Dr. David Bruce (1824–1911), in Australia, and married her, at Coolangatta, near Shoalhaven Heads on 19 March 1890.Marriages: Arthur—Bruce, The Sydney Mail, (Saturday, 12 April 1890), p. 838. They had three children: Bruce Murray Arthur (1891–1939),Death of Mr. Bruce M. Arthur", The Gilgandra Weekly and Castlereagh, (Thursday, 21 December 1939), p. 5. Jessie Gwendolen Arthur (1893–1965),NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Births Registration no.32962/1893.NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Deaths Registration no.4956/1965. and Beatrice Sinclair Arthur (1894–1950).Deaths: Arthur, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 18 January 1950), p. 32.

Education and medical career Educated at Dover College, he received a Master of Arts (M.A.) from the University of St Andrews (1885) and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (M.B. Ch.B.) from the University of Edinburgh (1888). He worked in the slums of Edinburgh, but contracted typhoid fever.

He met his wife in Australia, where he had gone to convalesce; and, following his marriage, he returned to Europe and studied hypnotism in Paris, which earned him the advanced degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Edinburgh in 1891.AR.1; AR.2; AR.3; AR.33; and AR.37.

After again becoming ill working in the slums of London, he returned to Australia, and was the first to establish a practice in the Sydney suburb of Mosman,The second was Frank Wiseman Doak (1870–1943) (Souter, G., Mosman: A History, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press). specialising in eye, ear-nose-and-throat, and dental work. He was a director of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital from 1917 to 1920 and from 1927 to 1931 and of Sydney Hospital from 1924 to 1932.

Political career Elected in 1904 to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as member for Middle Harbour, representing the Liberal and Reform Party. In December 1912, he became the inaugural president of the Eugenics Education Society of New South Wales.SH.1. An early advocate of child endowment in 1916, he was a strong supporter of closer settlement and assisted immigration to reduce the Japanese threat. In expressing his growing concerns (1919–1921) about the poor quality of life and limited services available to women and children living in the country, he contributed to the formation of the Country Women's Association.Comfort and Happiness in the Country: Dr. Richard Arthur advocates a Campaign to bring the Amenities of Civilisation from the City to the Bush, The Farmer and Settler, (Tuesday, 21 January 1919), p. 8.Comfort in the Bush: Why Life on the Land is Unattractive and Dull: Whose Fault is it?, The Farmer and Settler, (Friday, 14 February 1919), p. 8.Comfort Campaign, The Farmer and Settler, (Friday, 28 February 1919), p. 8.Making Bush Life Attractive, Australian Town and Country Journal, (Wednesday, 9 April 1919), p. 4.Making Bush Life Attractive, The Sydney Stock and Station Journal, (Friday, 6 May 1921), p. 3. Represented North Shore from 1920 to 1927. Chairman of the 1923 Royal Commission on Lunacy Law and Administration; and, as a eugenicist, recommended special training and institutions for "defectives". Represented Mosman from 1927 to 1932, and was Minister for Public Health from 1927 to 1930 during the Bavin Government, but failed to carry a mental defectives bill.

Death Arthur, who had been "very ill for the past few months",Dr. Arthur to Retire from Politics, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 4 May 1932), p. 11.Dr. Arthur's Health, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Friday, 20 May 1932), p. 6. died in Mosman, New South Wales on 21 May 1932.Deaths: Arthur, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 26 May 1932), p. 8.Simple Ceremony of Cremation, The (Sydney) Sun, (Sunday, 22 May 1932), p. 4.Dr. Arthur Dead: Pioneer Medical Man of Mosman: Useful Career, The (Sydney) Sun, (Saturday, 21 May 1932), p. 5."Little Doctor" Passes: Valiant Fight for Health of Nation, The (Sydney) Sun, (Sunday, 22 May 1932), p. 4.Obituary: Richard Arthur, The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.2, No.3, (16 July 1932), pp. 95–96.Estate of £10,500: Late Dr. Arthur's Will: For Family, The (Sydney) Sun, (Monday, 22 August 1932), p. 9.

See also Origins of the Country Women's Association

Notes

Footnotes

References

AR.1: AR.2: Arthur, Richard (1892), "Hypnotism and Suggestion", The Indian Medical Gazette, Vol.27, No.2, (February 1892), pp. 40-42, No.3, (March 1892) pp. 68-71. AR.3: Arthur, Richard (1892), "Hypnotism and its Practical Uses", The Sydney Quarterly Magazine, Vol.9, No.1, (March 1892), pp. 12–26. AR.4: Arthur, Richard (1894), The Innocence of Children, Sydney: S.D. Townsend, 1894. AR.5: Arthur, Richard (1896), The Needed Change in the Age of Consent: An Appeal for the Better Protection of our Girls, Sydney: Christian World Press, 1896. AR.6: Arthur, Richard (1898), "Aseptic Midwifery", The Australasian Medical Gazette, Vol.17, (21 March 1898), pp. 109–111. AR.7: Arthur, Richard (1902), "The Treatment of Middle-Ear Suppuration", The Journal of Laryngology, Rhinology, and Otology, Vol.17, No.5, (May 1902), pp. 225–234. AR.8: Arthur, Richard (1903), The Choice between Purity and Impurity: An Appeal to Young Men, Sydney: William Brooks & Co., 1903: identified as No.3 (of four) in the Purity Series published by the "Australian White Cross League". AR.9: Arthur, Richard (1906), "Farm Training for City Lads" (Letter to the Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 23 July 1906), p. 8. AR.10: Arthur, Richard (1908), "Australia for the Sons of Professional Men" (Letter to the Editor), The Lancet, Vol.1, No.4424, (13 June 1908), p. 1714. AR.11: Arthur, Richard (1908), "Australia for the Sons of Professional Men" (Letter to the Editor), The Lancet, Vol.2, No.4437, (12 September 1908), p. 839–840. AR.12: Arthur, Richard (1909), "Australian Immigration and the Pastoralists", The Pastoralists' Review, Vol.19, No.4, (15 June 1903), p. 386. AR.13: Arthur, Richard (1911), "The Sham of Our Defence: Our Toy Army and Our Tint Fleet: The Need for Real Military Training and the Provision of Super-Dreadnoughts" The Lone Hand, Vol.9, No.49, (1 May 1911), pp. 1–6. AR.14: Arthur, Richard (1912), "Openings for the Sons of Medical Men" (Letter to the Editor), The Hospital, Vol.51, No.1333, (27 January 1912), pp. 440–441. AR.15: Arthur, Richard (1912), "A White Australia" (Letter to the Editor), The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Thursday, 22 February 1912), p. 9. AR.16: Arthur, Richard (1912), "The Northern Territory" (Letter to the Editor), The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Thursday, 6 June 1912), p. 4. AR.17: Arthur, Richard (1912), "The Northern Territory" (Letter to the Editor), The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Wednesday, 19 June 1912), p. 17. AR.18: Arthur, Richard (1912), "Australia for Tuberculosis Cases", The Lancet, Vol.180, No.4638, (20 July 1912), p. 185. AR.19: Arthur, Richard (1912), "Can Anglo-Saxons Colonise the Tropics" (Letter to the Editor), The Lancet, Vol.180, No.4657, (30 November 1912), p. 1541. AR.20: Arthur, Richard (1913), "White Colonies in the Tropics" (Letter to the Editor), The Indian Medical Gazette, Vol.48, No.1, (January 1913), p. 39–40. AR.21: Arthur, Richard (1915), "The Birth Rate", The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 25 December 1915), p. 15. AR.22: Arthur, Richard (1916), "Problem of Venereal Disease", The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Wednesday, 3 May 1916), p. 10. AR.23: Arthur, Richard (1916), "An Address Delivered to the Officers of the Australian Imperial Force", The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.1, No.21, (20 May 1916), pp. 411–414. AR.24: Arthur, Richard (1916), "Some Aspects of the Venereal Problem", The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.2, No.18, (28 October 1916), pp. 361–364. AR.25: Arthur, R. (1916), Keep Yourself Fit: An Address given at Camps in Queensland and New South Wales, Sydney: The Australasian White Cross League, 1916. AR.26: Arthur, R. (1917), "Further Restrictions on Intoxicants" (Letter to the Editor), The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.1, No.16, (21 April 1917), p. 348. AR.27: Arthur, Richard (1918), "The Hospital of the Future in Australia", The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.2, No.18, (2 November 1918), pp. 363–365. AR.28: Arthur, Richard (1918), "Quarantine", The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.2, No.26, (28 December 1918), pp. 539–540. AR.29: Arthur, Richard (1919), The Voluntary Workers of New South Wales: How Australia Provided Farms for her Disabled Soldiers and Sailors, Sydney: Caxton Press, 1919. AR.30: Arthur, Richard (1920), "Basic Wage and Motherhood Endowment", The Lone Hand, (1 July 1920), p. 29. AR.31: Arthur, Richard (1921), "Settlement of Tropical Australia" (Letter to the Editor), The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.1, No.17, (23 April 1921), p. 345. AR.32: Arthur, Richard (1922), "How to Raise Revenue: A Tax on Luxuries", The Sydney Stock and Station Journal, (Friday, 13 January 1922), p. 2. AR.33: Arthur, Richard (1923), "Hypnotic Suggestion" (Letter to the Editor), The Medical Journal of Australia, Vol.1, No.22, (2 June 1923), p. 624. AR.34: Arthur, Richard (1924), Idiocy: Its Alarming Inroads in N.S.W: Suicidal Policies, The (Sydney) Sunday Times, (Sunday, 26 October 1924), p. 6. AR.35: Arthur, Richard (1925), "The Control of Tuberculosis", The Tumut Advocate and Farmers and Settlers' Adviser, (Tuesday, 24 February 1925), p. 3. AR.36: Arthur, Richard (1926), "National Health and Diet: A Simple Bill of Fare", The Beaudesert Times, (Friday, 4 June 1926), p. 5. AR.37: Arthur, Richard (1926), "The Influence of the Mind on Matter", The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Friday, 30 July 1926), p. 5. AR.38: Arthur, Richard (1927), ("Dr. Arthur and Birth Control") (Letter to the Editor), The Labor Daily, (Wednesday, 30 November 1927), p. 4. AR.39: Arthur, Richard (1928), "Children's Teeth: A National Question", The Canberra Times, (Thursday, 2 August 1928), p. 4. GE.1: Edwards, Graham A. (1985), "Dr. Richard Arthur and the Defence of Hypnotism in Late Nineteenth Century Australia", pp.9–29 in Harold Attwood & R.W. Home (eds.), Patients, Practitioners and Techniques: Second National Conference on Medicine and Health in Australia, Melbourne, 1984, Melbourne: Medical History Unit and Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, 1985. GU.1: Ussher, Gergory Ronald, The "Medical Gaze" and the "Watchful Eye": The Treatment, Prevention and Epidemiology of Venereal Diseases in New South Wales c.1901-1925, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Sydney, September 2006.: see fn.87 at pp.28-29. MR.1: SH.1: Study of Eugenics: Society formed in Sydney, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 11 December 1912), p. 17. SS.1: The White Cross Movement, The Sydney Stock and Station Journal, (Friday, 15 October 1915), p. 2. ST.1.: The Best Immigrant: The Australian Baby, (Sydney) Truth, (Sunday, 9 January 1921), p. 6.

External links Arthur, Richard (1865 - 1932), at The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.