Isaac Aaron (1804–1877) was an English-born physician who rose to prominence combating

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

outbreaks around his city of birth,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, during the 1830s. Instrumental in setting up a Central Board of Health for the area, and a member of the Society of Apothecaries and the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

, Aaron was considered posthumously as "one of the outstanding professional figures of his time". After a decade of political and medical activity in England, he sailed to Australia and took up residency in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He was editor of the '' New South Wales Medical Gazette'' and director, and later owner, of the ''

Australian Medical Journal The ''Medical Journal of Australia'' (MJA) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 22 times a year. It is the official journal of the Australian Medical Association, published by Wiley on behalf of the Australasian Medical Publishing Company ...

''. He worked to reform medical practices in Australian hospitals, and was secretary of the

Australian Medical Association The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is an independent professional association for Australian physician, doctors and medical school#Medical students, medical students. The association is not a government authority and does not regulate or ...

. A man of faith, he was a leading

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and president of Sydney's Unitarian Church.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * 1804 births 1877 deaths Health professionals from Birmingham, West Midlands 19th-century English medical doctors British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales {{England-med-bio-stub