Earl Owen

Earl Ronald Owen AO (1934–2014) was an Australian microsurgeon and classical music specialist who led or assisted in many pioneering achievements in the field of microsurgery, including many "world firsts", such as the world's first finger reattachment, vasectomy reversal, fallopian tubal ligation, hand transplant, double-hand transplant and face transplant.

Early life Born in 1934, Owen's childhood was overshadowed by medical problems, beginning when he underwent radiation therapy to treat a tumour on his leg, which weakened his bones causing them to break when he was aged 11. Enduring multiple failed operations, Owen said he grew to hate his surgeon but the experience inspired him to be a doctor who carefully planned and researched operations before performing surgery.

Medical career Owen studied at Cranbrook School, Sydney and the University of Sydney where he graduated in 1958. He then commenced work at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne as a trainee surgeon. The boy's parents had brought the finger, which had been accidentally chopped off with an axe, to the hospital in a bag. Owen decided to attempt to reattach the finger by sewing the nerve endings together with a needle under a microscope. To do this, Owen disobeyed orders by the head of the hospital who had refused to allow the operation to proceed. After successfully performing Australia's first finger reattachment, Owen was promptly dismissed for insubordination.

Owen continued to develop his microsurgical skills, being the first surgeon to perform vasectomy reversals and complete fallopian tubal ligations.

Hand Transplant In 1998, Owen and Jean-Michel Dubernard headed up a team to perform what would be the world's first successful hand transplant, which consisted of a groundbreaking 13-hour operation at the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, where a deceased motorcycle accident victim's hand was transplanted onto the arm of New Zealander Clint Hallam who had lost his hand in a circular saw accident 14 years prior while serving a prison sentence for fraud. Owen described the amputation as "inevitable" due to Hallam's failure to keeping up the required physiotherapy and accused Hallam of failing to follow the plan he had agreed to prior to the transplant.

Owen had previously been critical of Hallam's behaviour and attitude following the transplant. When an arrest warrant was issued for Hallam in May 2000 in connection to a fuel card scam, Owen inferred in a radio interview that he was beginning to regret his choice of patient for such a pioneering operation, claiming not to know of Hallam's criminal history and accusing Hallam of being only interested in making media appearances for financial gain.

Double Hand Transplant In 2000, Owen and Dubernard again led a team to perform what would be the world's first successful double hand transplant, which consisted of a 17-hour operation at the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, where a donor's hands and part of their forearms were transplanted onto the arms of a French man. The man had previously had both arms amputated below the elbows following an accident involving an amateur rocket which had exploded causing severe injuries.

Face Transplant Owen trained the French surgeons who performed the world's first partial face transplant in 2005 on Isabelle Dinoire, a French woman who had been attacked by her own dog. The surgeons had a four month-wait for a reasonably matched face from a donor with a similar age, the same blood group, tissue type and skin colour. Upon a match being found, Owen was unable to arrive in France in time for the operation, having decided it would be disrespectful to keep the brain-dead donor on life support while he made the journey from Australia. However, Owen kept in constant communication with the operating team who conducted the 15-hour operation at a hospital in Amiens. He lectured in the music department of the University of Sydney and advised a number of the major symphony orchestras in Australia.

Design Owen also displayed an interest in ergonomic design, heading up a company that designed chairs for dental clinics. Owen is also credited with designing some of the chairs at the Sydney Opera House.

In 2007, Owen received the Legion d'Honneur for services to French surgery.

Owen was depicted as one of the surgeons in Henry Ward’s painting The finger-assisted nephrectomy, unveiled in 2010 and exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Death Earl Owen died at the age of 80 on 22 May 2014 in Sydney.