Victor Richard Ratten

Victor Richard Ratten (12 December 1878 – 30 December 1962) was an Australian surgeon and hospital administrator. He was known for his long involvement with Royal Hobart Hospital, serving as superintendent from 1917 to 1936 and as a surgeon until his death in 1962. He came into conflict with the medical establishment in Tasmania on a number of occasions and was the subject of a royal commission into his qualifications in 1918.

Early life Ratten was born on 12 December 1878 in Kew, Victoria. He was the son of Eliza Ann (née Gordon) and George William Ratten. His father was a schoolteacher and was later ordained as an Anglican minister.

Ratten spent part of his childhood in Port Fairy, Victoria.

After serving an apprenticeship with a dentist in Sydney, Ratten returned to country New South Wales in 1899 and began practising as a dentist in West Wyalong. He returned to Australia in 1915 after being unfit for military service, although he was not discharged from service until March 1918.

Ratten was refused admission to the Tasmanian branch of the British Medical Association (BMA) after its formation in 1911, as it did not recognise his American qualification. He moved to Hobart in 1916 after purchasing an existing medical practice.

Royal Hobart Hospital Ratten was appointed surgeon-superintendent of Hobart General Hospital (later Royal Hobart Hospital) in 1917. He had a reputation as a skilled surgeon, "insisting on extremely high standards of hygiene, theatre teamwork and modern equipment".

Personal life In 1907, Ratten married Blanche Greaves, with whom he had two sons. His oldest son John Richard Ratten was an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and died in 1945 while on active service.

Outside of medicine, Ratten was an antique collector and owned racehorses. His horse The Artist won the Hobart Cup and Launceston Cup in 1949, and he also won the Hobart Cup with Wingfire in 1947.

Ratten died in Hobart on 30 December 1962, aged 84.