Early Years of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland

The first course in physiotherapy at the University of Queensland commenced in 1938. Like other programs in Australia and around the world, it was established in response to the shortage of trained masseurs to treat victims of recurrent poliomyelitis epidemics. Discussions regarding the establishment of a course had begun some ten years earlier between representatives of the University of Queensland, the Brisbane and South Coast Hospitals Boards and the Australian Massage Association (later named the Australian Physiotherapy Association). It was the fourth physiotherapy course in Australia, and began some 30 years after two-year courses had commenced in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. These latter courses were largely co-ordinated and taught by the Australasian Massage Association and in each state, the courses sought and gained affiliations with universities, their medical schools and teaching hospitals.

The point of difference in Queensland was that from the beginning, the physiotherapy course was established wholly as a university course. Professor E J Goddard the first Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, advocated strongly to have courses in health sciences established within the university. As a result of his tireless work and persuasion, the Faculty of Dentistry was established in 1935, the Faculty of Medicine in 1936 and physiotherapy was founded within the Faculty of Medicine in 1938.

Dr Harold Crawford, an influential orthopaedic surgeon and president of the Australasian Massage Association (Queensland Branch) led the physiotherapy program. Dr Crawford and Miss Irene Stoddart joined forces to work to form a course in physiotherapy and consulted widely both with stakeholders in Queensland as well as personnel involved in physiotherapy courses in other states.

The original qualification was a three-year Diploma in Physiotherapy and the original curriculum was developed by Drs Crawford and Earnshaw and physiotherapist, Miss Dorothy Hopkins. The original curriculum included the basic and biological sciences, the behavioural sciences, clinical applied sciences and clinical practice. Miss Elma Casely was persuaded to join the staff as the specialist lecturer in physiotherapy.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Biology Anatomy I Introductory Massage Chemistry Physics	Physiology Anatomy II Massage II Gymnastics II Introductory Pathology and Medicine Bandaging, Splinting, Plasterwork	Light and heat therapy Psychology associated with physiotherapy Muscle re-education Clinical lectures and practice

The first cohort of students numbered sixteen, the fees were £45 per year and the total intake for the year grossed £619 which covered the costs of part time teaching staff and equipment. The first diplomas were awarded in 1941.

In the following years, the course and qualifications evolved. In 1947, discussions began regarding a degree course and in 1950, a degree course was approved by the university and physiotherapy moved to the Faculty of Science. 1951 marked the first intake and students undertook a combined degree in physiotherapy and occupational therapy (B App Sc (Phty & OccThpy). However, the combined degree was short lived and occupational therapy separated from physiotherapy. In 1955 the degree undertaken was B App Sc (Phty) and in 1959, it was renamed to a B Phty. Physiotherapy returned to the Faculty of Medicine. During the evolution of the bachelor’s program, the university continued to offer the Diploma in Physiotherapy concurrently with the degree program. However, in 1957 the report of the Federal Government’s Committee on Australian Universities (the Murray Commission) made many recommendations, one of which was that diplomas at universities be phased out. 1967 saw the last enrolments in the Diploma of Physiotherapy at The University of Queensland.

To this point, administratively, physiotherapy was a course within the Faculty of Medicine. In 1962, the Department of Physiotherapy was established and a physiotherapist was appointed as Head. Aura Forster FCSP was foundation Head of Physiotherapy and was later appointed Reader in 1972. She taught at The University from 1956 – 1973. Her legacies were many and included in the first instance, a major upgrade of the physiotherapy content of the curriculum. Aura Forster also initiated research within physiotherapy and oversaw the transition to bachelor degree courses only. A major challenge came in 1964, when the Federal Government’s Martin Report on Tertiary Education recommended that professions such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology and Pharmacy be taught in newly formed Colleges of Advanced Education. The 1970’s saw physiotherapy programs in most states in Australia move to these Colleges of Advanced Education or to Institutes of Technology. The exception was The University of Queensland, where Aura Forster fought to have the physiotherapy course retained within the university. Her submission was supported by Vice-Chancellor Sir Fred Schonell and was accepted by The Australian Universities Commission. After subsequent education reforms in Australia, in 1991, all the physiotherapy programs in other states entered universities. The University of Queensland thus has the unique position that it is the only Australian University that has offered physiotherapy education at University level for its entire history.

Always being within a university provided opportunities with respect to higher education and research. The first major physiotherapy research project commenced 1965 to study working postures. It was undertaken by Jennifer Rodgers, a lecturer, with a grant of £500. She collaborated with the Department of Surveying and with the University’s photography department and used stereophotogrammetry, which allows the estimate of the 3D coordinates of points marked on two or more photographic images taken from different positions. This spurred further commissioned research in the field of ergonomics.

Of great importance for the future of research, a master’s degree by research in physiotherapy was introduced in 1967. The first PhD program in physiotherapy in Australia was offered at The University of Queensland in 1968. Physiotherapists in Australia could and did undertake PhD programs in cognate disciplines such as anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, but the first Australian to be awarded a PhD in physiotherapy was Margaret Bullock AM, who served as the second Head of Department of Physiotherapy.

The early years 1938-1968 built a strong base for the subsequent growth and development of physiotherapy clinical education and research at The University of Queensland.

Authors

Gwendolen Jull AO, Dip Phty, Grad Dip Manip Ther, M Phty, PhD, FACP

Elaine Unkles OAM BPhty (Hons) BEdSt, BBus (Health Admin) FCHSE

Prue Galley B Phty (Hons) M Ed St

References

Hill D. (1974). Physiotherapy as a university subject. The Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 20(3),117-128.