Biographical entry Gresswell, Dan Astley (1853 - 1904)

Summary

Dan Astley Gresswell was medical inspector of the Victorian Board of Public Health 1889-94 and chairman of the Board 1894-1904. He established sanatoriums for patents with tuberculosis, including the Gresswell Sanatorium. Legislation he was responsible for includes the Meat Supervision (1900), Wine Adulteration (1900) and Pure Food (1905) Acts, which when enacted made Victoria a leader in this area.

Details

Born Louth, Lincolnshire, 11 September 1853. Died Melbourne, 10 December 1904. Educated University of Oxford (BA 1875, MB 1881, MD 1890), Würzburg and Bonn (physiology), St Bartholomews Hospital (MRCS (London) 1881) and Cambridge (Sanitary Science Certificate 1884). Stockwell Asylum Board Hospital 1882, house physician, St Bartholomew's 1882-83, visit to South Africa to determine the effects of climate on the communicable diseases 1883, surgeon-superintendent to the South Australian Emigration Service 1883, assistant demonstrator, St Bartholomew's 1884, temporary medical inspector, Local Government Board, investigated the sanitary state of the major cities of Europe, Stockwell Asylum Board Hospital 1886-87, medical inspector, Victorian Board of Public Health 1889-1904. Initiated and chaired the first of the intercolonial quarantine conferences, co-authored the Royal Society of Victoria's 1892 report on cremation and ignited the first authorised cremation in the colony. President, British Medical Association, Victorian branch 1893.

Published resources

Book Sections

• Dyason, Diana J., 'Gresswell, Dan Astley (1853-1904), Public Health Administrator', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 9, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1983, pp. 103-104. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090106b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Gresswell, D Astley', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-562394. Details