Alan Newton was born in Melbourne, 30 April 1887, son of Hibbert H Newton, Clerk of Parliaments in Victoria, and his wife, who was descended from the distinguished English legal family of Stephen. He was educated at Haileybury College, Melbourne, and Melbourne University, where he qualified in 1909, taking first place in the final honours list and winning the Beaney surgical scholarship. At the Royal Melbourne Hospital he was resident medical officer 1910, surgical registrar 1911, and surgical clinical assistant 1912-13 to Frederick Bird. At this period he came to England, and worked at University College, London, under Ernest H Starling, FRS, the professor of physiology, and at the National Hospital, Queen Square, under Sir Victor Horsley, studying shock injury of the spinal cord. He was also influenced by Gordon Clunes Mathieson and by Arthur Hertz (Sir Arthur Hurst), who was making a pioneer study of bowel movement by X-ray observation after opaque meals. Newton now went back to Australia and was appointed surgeon to out-patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1913, after taking the MS degree at Melbourne in 1912. During the war of 1914-18 Frederick Bird went on active service in 1914 and Newton followed him in 1916. He served in France as a major in the Australian Army Medical Corps, and worked in 1917 with Harvey Cushing in the Ypres salient. He became a Fellow of the College by examination in 1919. When he started again at Melbourne, Newton quickly developed his great surgical skill, and began to deploy his abilities as teacher and administrator. He had a profound knowledge of anatomy always at the call of his brilliant visual memory, and great manual dexterity supported by sound and decisive judgement. As a lecturer and public speaker he was clear, accurate, and concise, with felicitous command of moving English and no trace of local accent. In private conversation he had a quiet, winning sense of humour. Newton remained a general surgeon, though originally attracted to brain surgery and a pioneer of thyroid operations in Australia. Among much notable work he developed Hamilton Russell's operation for hernia, perfected his own technique of operation for gastro-jejunal ulcer, performed a remarkable end-to-end suture of a pancreas ruptured by a horse's kick, and devised the incision along the outer border of the erector spinae for exposure of the kidney. He was elected a Fellow of the American College in 1924, and was a foundation Fellow of the Australasian College in 1927, the year of his appointment as surgeon to his hospital; he became consulting surgeon on retirement in 1946. He was also consulting surgeon to the Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital. At the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons he was censor-in-chief in 1936, in succession to Hamilton Russell, was knighted that year in King Edward VIII's only honours list, 23 June 1936, and was president 1942-45. He was an Honorary Fellow of the British Medical Association and vice-president of its Victorian branch, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. He was for many years a member of the Faculty of Medicine at Melbourne University, and later a member of the University Court and was Stewart lecturer in surgery from 1947. He was also a councillor of Trinity College. Newton effected in 1945 an arrangement for co-operation in teaching among the three principal hospitals at Melbourne and promoted the formation of a permanent postgraduate education committee. He served on the Medical Board of Victoria, and was chairman of the board of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Research. During the second world war, 1939-45, Newton was consulting surgeon at the Australian Army Headquarters, with the rank of colonel. He was throughout the war a member of the Central Medical Co-ordination Committee, and from 1940 chairman of the Medical Equipment Committee of the Commonwealth. In this capacity, and without waiting for higher authority, he seized a fleeting opportunity and bought the whole Java quinine crop of 1941, just before the Japanese occupied the Netherlands Indies, and thus saved the health of the Australian forces in their long struggle to regain the East Indies. He was elected an Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. After retirement he became a director of several prominent Australian business firms, including the National Mutual Life Association and the Fourth Victoria Permanent Building Society. Newton married in 1919 Mary Cicely, daughter of J Hartley Wicksteed, who survived him with a son and daughter. They lived at 272 Domain Road, South Yarra. He died at Melbourne on 4 August 1949, aged 62. Physically, intellectually, and in character he was a great man. His son is a barrister in Melbourne, and his daughter a lecturer at Melbourne University. Publications: A study of the superficial veins of the superior extremity in 300 living subjects, with R J A Berry. *Anat Anzeiger*, 1908, 33, 591. Some anatomical and surgical considerations of the normal double bismuth meal. *Austral med J* 1912, 1, 631. The normal movements of the colon in man, with A F Hertz. *J Physiol* 1913, 47, 57. A preliminary note on an experimental investigation of concussion of the spinal cord and allied conditions. *Brit med J* 1913, 1, 1101. Fracture dislocation of cervical vertebrae without lesion of the spinal cord. *Austral med J* 1913, 2, 1329. Two cases of syphilitic gummata. *Med J Austral* 1914, 1, 37. Latent fracture and fracture dislocation of the cervical vertebrae. *Ibid* 1915, 1, 164. A preliminary note on the treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer, with W W S Johnston. *Ibid* 1915, 2, 507. Case of chronic empyema treated by visceral pleurectomy. *Ibid*. 1916, 1, 7. A case of lipoma growing from the sheath of the ulnar nerve. *Ibid* p 241. Study of gunshot wounds of the brain, with A E Brown. *Brit J Surg* 1919, 7, 72. The treatment of renal tumours. *Med J Austral* 1922, 1, 634. Cholecystitis and its complications. *Ibid* 1927, 1, 69. Carcinoma of the colon, with H Searby. *NZ med J* 1929, 28, 83. Operation for cure of oblique inguinal hernia, with H Searby. *Surg Gynec Obstet* 1929, 48, 491. Case of successful end-to-end suture of the pancreas. *Ibid* p 808. Pulsion diverticulum of the pharynx. *J Coll Surg Austral* 1929, 2, 3. Carcinoma of the jejunum. *Austral NZ J Surg* 1931, 1, 103. An analysis of nine hundred and ninety-five cases of acute appendicitis treated at the Melbourne Hospital. *Ibid* 1932, 1, 311. Toxic goitre, with H H Turnbull and P MacCallum. *Ibid* 1933, 2, 244. A lecture to nurses on toxic goitre. *Una*, 1933, 31, 261. The system of admission to Fellowship of the College. Austral. *NZ J Surg* 1934, 4, 77. Place of surgery in early carcinoma of the breast. *Med J Austral* 1935, 2, 69. The spirit of the place. *Melbourne Hosp Clin Rep* 1935, 6, 49. Role of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in post-graduate education. *Med J Austral* 1936, 1, 129. Major surgery in patients over 70 years of age. *Ibid* p 187. On surgical education, Halford oration, Institute of Anatomy, Canberra. *Ibid* 1937, 1, 41. Surgical apprenticeship. *Austral NZ J Surg* 1937, 6, 424. Toxic goitre with special reference to end-results, Listerian oration, British Medical Association, South Australian branch. *Med J Austral* 1938, 2, 265. The hospital management of patients suffering from thyrotoxicosis. *Roy Melbourne Hosp Clin Rep* 1938, 9, 133. Drainage in acute appendicitis. *Austral NZ J Surg* 1939, 8, 241. Making medical men, Bancroft memorial lecture, Queensland branch, BMA. *Med J Austral* 1939, 2, 87. The Gordon Craig research and education grants. *Austral NZ J Surg* 1939, 9, 85. Gunshot wounds of the brain. *Med J Austral* 1940, 1, 22. Problems relating to supply of medical equipment. *Ibid* 1940, 2, 453. Control of medical equipment in nation at war, Syme memorial lecture, Victorian branch, BMA *Ibid* 1944, 2, 101. Presidential address, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. *Austral NZ J Surg* 1944, 14, 68. Presidential address, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. *Ibid* 1945 15. 68. Forgotten abdominal pack. *Roy Melbourne Hosp Clin Rep* 1946, 17, 11. Balance sheets of cash and cures. *Ibid* p 42. Silver spoons and golden genes, Sir Richard Stawell oration, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. *Med J Austral* 1947, 2, 677. The development of thyroid surgery in Melbourne. *Royal Melbourne Hospital, centenary volume*, 1948, p 36.