James Manson 1934

Dr James ‘Jim’ Manson was a colleague, mentor and friend to many at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Jim was one of the founders of paediatric neurology in Australia, indeed one of the first two paediatric Neurologists appointed to a dedicated specialist position, and his legacy is profound.

In addition to establishing the management of paediatric neurological disease, as distinct from adult neurology, he was among the first to introduce clinical electrophysiology diagnostics into routine clinical practice and pioneered the use of video-EEG – a major technical advance of the period.

As the first paediatric neurologist in South Australia, Jim worked tirelessly on behalf of his patients and was joined by his long-term colleague Kim Abbot in the 1970s.

The era of ‘Kim and Jim’ serving the South Australian community prevailed until 2010, and Jim maintained his unofficial involvement with the department until the COVID-19 pandemic.

Generations of children and families have benefited from his dedication, clinical ability, and care.

At a personal level Jim was humble and unassuming, though not to be mistaken for quiet and reserved! He held a sharp wit and was keenly observant.

As his great friend and colleague Paddy Grattan-Smith reflected, ‘Jim was a warm, reliable and welcoming gentleman, with his softly spoken manner belying a larrikin spirit’.

Jim could engage on many a varied topic of conversation, ranging from his favourite sport of tennis and his unwavering support of the West Torrens Football club (on which there was often debate) to his extensive knowledge of English literature.

Indeed, as somewhat of a polymath, his academic interests extended beyond medicine into the discipline of philosophy, in which he undertook further university studies upon his retirement.

While there are many stories about Jim, and we will long remember him through their telling, Paddy recalls a particularly amusing one. At the Epilepsy Society of Australia meeting in Adelaide in 2015, Ernie Sommerville, an adult epileptologist, remarked: ‘Jim Manson has passed away, hasn’t he?’.

Paddy replied: ‘No, in fact, I’m having dinner with him tonight’.

Jim picked Paddy up in his car just as the day was closing and they saw Ernie walking back to his hotel. To the amusement of all, Jim wound down his window and called out to Ernie, ‘I ain’t dead yet!’.

Dr Nicholas Smith Head of Neurology, Women’s and Children’s Hospital