Welcome to the Australian Medical Pioneers Index

A database of colonial doctors to 1875

AMPI provides biographical data on over 4500 doctors who lived in Australia or visited Australian shores in a medical capacity in colonial days.

General practitioners and specialists are included, along with doctors in the army, the navy, and the colonial (civil) service. There are also records for doctors working in other (non-medical) occupations such as farming.

AMPI contains reliable information obtained from sources such as medical registers, shipping records, newspapers, pictorial archives, and medical publications.

The site provides a fascinating glimpse into Australia's early medical workforce, including doctors on immigrant ships, on the goldfields, and in the old colonial cities and country towns.

AMPI uses data from the original card file of Dr. Noel David Richards, computerised with the assistance of the Geelong Hospital Library in 2002-2003. This website was developed and funded by the State Library of Victoria through Vicnet and Victoria's Virtual Library