Darcy Rivers Warren Cowan

Darcy Rivers Warren Cowan was born on 8 August 1885 at Norwood, Adelaide, one of eight children of James Cowan, a merchant from Ireland, and his wife Sarah Ann, née Warren.

Darcy attended Prince Alfred College and the University of Adelaide where he completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1908 (M.B., B.S.).

While at University he won a triple Blue in lacrosse, football and tennis, and also played cricket.

Cowan was in England at the outbreak of World War I and on 5 November 1914 was appointed temporary lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Returning to South Australia, on 22 May 1916 he joined the Australian Army Medical Corps Reserve as an honorary captain.

In 1924-35 Cowan served as honorary physician to the (Royal) Adelaide Hospital where he became increasingly absorbed with the problem of tuberculosis and concerned with the toll that the disease was taking on young people, particularly those nurses and doctors occupationally exposed to it. Cowan's mission was threefold: prevention, patient care, and convincing his colleagues and government that the matter could and should be successfully tackled. In 1937 he visited the United States of America to investigate methods of control. President (1935-36) of the South Australian branch of the British Medical Association, he became a foundation fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1938.

His constant pressure and forthright statements resulted in the establishment at (Royal) Adelaide Hospital of a chest clinic, with a ward for tuberculous patients, of which Cowan was physician-in-charge (1938-50).

In 1943 he founded the South Australian Tuberculosis Association, devoted to the welfare of patients, to public education and to the study of the disease. In 1947 in London he emphasized the importance of providing economic and psychological relief for sufferers and for their families. Returning to Adelaide, he introduced the use of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine which was prepared by Dr Nancy Atkinson. Next year he helped to form the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis in Australia and forged links with kindred societies in Britain and America.

Virtually single-handedly, Cowan founded Bedford Industries, a new factory (opened in 1950 at Panorama, Adelaide) which offered opportunities for the rehabilitation of those afflicted with tuberculosis; it developed into a broad-based enterprise and the main building was named after him.

Assisted by Sir Josiah Symon, Cowan had earlier set up Northcote Home, a residence for children whose parents were in hospital with tuberculosis.

In 1947-57 he assisted the James Brown Memorial Trust which owned and managed Kalyra Sanatorium and Estcourt House, Grange.

Rather belatedly, he was knighted in 1955. 

Cowan died on 9 June 1958 at Calvary Hospital, North Adelaide, and was buried in Payneham cemetery.

The Australian Laennec Society commemorated him by the Sir Darcy Cowan prize for research into respiratory disease.