Ida Mann
Encyclopedia
Dame Ida Caroline Mann, DBE
, FRCS
(6 February 1893, West Hampstead
, London
November 1983) was a distinguished English-reared ophthalmologist whose long-term association with Australia began when she moved to Perth, Western Australia
, after World War II.
She diagnosed a trachoma
epidemic amongst Indigenous people in the Kimberleys and traveled extensively in Western Australia in order to examine and treat Indigenous people with trachoma. Mann became convinced that better housing and sanitation, rather than administration of antibiotics, would improve this health crisis.
She was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 14 June 1980 for services to the welfare of Aboriginal people.
(FRCS) in 1927.
In London, Mann worked at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for Women, the Central London Eye Hospital, and the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. She flew to Melbourne
in 1939 to present a paper to the Ophthalmological Society of Australia. Mann became Reader in Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford
in 1941. She was Titular Professor there from January 1945 until 30 September 1947. Mann was also a Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford
.
Mann resigned from Oxford and emigrated to Australia in 1949 with her husband, Professor William Gye (whom she married in December 1944). Prof. Gye died in 1952. Ida Gye then began a four year investigation into the nature and extent of trachoma amongst Indigenous people in the Kimberleys. These studies also took her to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
Mann published extensively in the area of eye anatomy and eye disease, publishing many scientific articles and several books. She also wrote on her travels and findings relating to trachoma
, published under her married name Ida Gye or a pseudonym
,
Caroline Gye. These were China 13 and The Cockney and the Crocodile.
Mann received an honorary Doctor of Science from Murdoch University (Perth, Western Australia) in 1983. She died later the same year, aged 90.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
(6 February 1893, West Hampstead
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village called West End...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
November 1983) was a distinguished English-reared ophthalmologist whose long-term association with Australia began when she moved to Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, after World War II.
She diagnosed a trachoma
Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
epidemic amongst Indigenous people in the Kimberleys and traveled extensively in Western Australia in order to examine and treat Indigenous people with trachoma. Mann became convinced that better housing and sanitation, rather than administration of antibiotics, would improve this health crisis.
She was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 14 June 1980 for services to the welfare of Aboriginal people.
Background
Ida Caroline Mann was educated at the London School of Medicine for Women and St Mary's Hospital. She qualified Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS), Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS) in 1920 and Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1924. She was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of SurgeonsFellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
(FRCS) in 1927.
In London, Mann worked at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for Women, the Central London Eye Hospital, and the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. She flew to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1939 to present a paper to the Ophthalmological Society of Australia. Mann became Reader in Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1941. She was Titular Professor there from January 1945 until 30 September 1947. Mann was also a Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford
St Hugh's College, Oxford
St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a fourteen and a half acre site on St Margaret's Road, to the North of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 as a women's college, and accepted its first male students in its centenary year in 1986...
.
Mann resigned from Oxford and emigrated to Australia in 1949 with her husband, Professor William Gye (whom she married in December 1944). Prof. Gye died in 1952. Ida Gye then began a four year investigation into the nature and extent of trachoma amongst Indigenous people in the Kimberleys. These studies also took her to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
Mann published extensively in the area of eye anatomy and eye disease, publishing many scientific articles and several books. She also wrote on her travels and findings relating to trachoma
Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
, published under her married name Ida Gye or a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
,
Caroline Gye. These were China 13 and The Cockney and the Crocodile.
Mann received an honorary Doctor of Science from Murdoch University (Perth, Western Australia) in 1983. She died later the same year, aged 90.