Obituary Sir Edward Sayers

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 35

Obituary Sir Edward Sayers

PA Dunedin Sir Edward George Sayers, former Dean of the Otago Medical School and an important figure in international medicine, has died in Dunedin. He was 82. Sir Edward was educated at Christ’s College and the Medical School in Dunedin. After studying at the School of Tropical Medicine in London, he served as resident physician at the hospital for tropical diseases there. From 1927 to 1934 he was a medical missionary and was in charge of the Medi-

cal Mission Hospital in the j British Solomon Islands. i His humanitarian and i scientific services were re- < cognised by the Australian Institute of Anatomy by the < award of the Cilento Medal < in 1940. I During World War 11, as I the New Zealand Army’s I malarial expert, he was 1 sent to prevent mosquitoes I infecting New Zealand 1 .'troops in Greece. Moving to the Pacific he was put in command of the 4th New Zealand General Hospital. He was also responsible for anti-malarial

policy and the Americans recognised his work by enrolling him in their Legion of Merit. He went on to become chairman of the Medical Council, a member of the Clinical Research Committee of the Medical Research Council and the first New Zealander to be president of the Royal Australasian college of Physicians. He was also the only New Zealander to have been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of The American College of Physicians and was elected an Honorary

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Sir Edward took up his appointment as Dean of the Medical School in February, 1959. He was made a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (C.M.G.) and later a Knight Bachelor He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Knight of the Order of St John. After retiring as dean in 1967, he continued as a consulting physician until late last year.