NOTED SCHOLAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26904, 16 October 1948, Page 6

NOTED SCHOLAR

DR R. S. AITKEN

RETURN TO DOMINION NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR OF OTACO UNIVERSITY Special to the Daily Times AUCKLAND, Oct. 15. One of New Zealand’s most distinguished scholars arrived at Auckland by the Ruahine from London this morning to take the appointment of vice-chancellor of Otago University, where he graduated 26 years ago. He is Dr R. S. Aitken, a former New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, who resigned the position of Regius Professor of Medicine at Aberdeen University to return to New Zealand. With Dr Aitken on the Ruahine were his wife and family of two daughters and a son. In a brief interview, he said he had been looking forward to his return to New Zealand after an absence of 24 years. When asked

about his outstanding career in Britain, he covered it in one terse sentence by saying that he had done various medical jobs in Britain in the last 24 years. All he wished to say was that the health of the British people was good, but New Zealand food parcels were needed and, greatly appreciated. He would not discuss medical education until he had learned a little about education in New Zealand.

He attended the recent universities’ conference at Oxford. He said there was increasing interest in the establishment of closer contact between the universities of Britain and the dominions and securing a freer interchange of young graduates and older teachers and research workers.