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Obituary: Dr Maurice Joseph, Sydney Morning Herald 13th April 1996

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Obituary: Dr Maurice Joseph, Sydney Morning Herald 13th April 1996

Dr Maurice Joseph, one of Australia's most esteemed chest physicians died on March 29,aged 83, after landing his single engined Piper Archer aircraft en-route to his Sydney home.

A great lover of flying, Dr Joseph had just attended a conference of the Thoracic Society in Perth. But after landing at Ceduna in South Australia to refuel, he suffered a heart attack and died in the pilot's seat.

Maurice Roy Joseph, MB BS (Hons) (Syd), BSc (Hons) (Syd), FRCP, FRACP, FCCP (USA), MD (hnoris causa) (Syd), was born in Sydney on July 29, 1912 to Ailsey and Harry Joseph.

He was educated a Fort Street Boys' High and graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney. In 1938-39 he lectured in pathology before moving to England to study chest deseases at the Brompton Hospital.

At the outbreak of WWII, he joined the Bristish Army where he stayed until 1939-46, first as a medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps, then with the 80th British General Hospital in India. He was mentioned in dispatches for his performance at Dunkirk.

In 1947, he was appointed hnorary consultant thoracic physician at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. A founding member of the Thoracic Society of Australia he was president from 1970-72. He help many guest professorships and was recently awarded an honrary Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Sydney.

A keen follower of music and theatre, and an enthusiastic tennis player and skier, Dr Jospeh recently tried his first parachute jump.

He is survived by his wife Isabelle, and his children Anne, Andrew and Jennifer.

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