DR RUSSELL RITCHIE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26614, 10 November 1947, Page 4

DR RUSSELL RITCHIE

The name of Dr Russell Ritchie, whose death occurred on Saturday, is one which was widely known in the community. He was a respected member of a family which has long been prominently associated with this city, and in , his professional capacity he had achieved a deserved eminence, especially for his work as a specialist in obstetrics. He was, however, held in respect and esteem to a singular degree and the reason for this lay in the quality of the man himself. He held a high ideal of the profession he followed and he laboured with a strong sense of duty to uphold that ideal. Dr Ritchie lived a long life and in his time he saw many social changes. Among these were changes which tended to affect the traditional relationship which existed between a doctor and his patient. These did not alter his conception of what he should do. Those who entrusted themselves to his care were assured that they would receive the full benefit of his professional knowledge. More, they knew that they could expect a continuation of his interest. This was in the tradition of the family physician of an earlier generation. In a very real sense such a doctor was’ regarded as a friend of the families he was called on to tend and from the confidence which was thus engendered both patient and physician alike benefited. A life spent in the pursuit of such an ideal could not fail to be a life well lived, bringing a rich satisfaction to the man himself and radiating a warmth which would be cherished by those in affliction. Dr Ritchie has been an ornament to his profession and his passing will be generally mourned as that of one who truly was a public benefactor.