’Trust me, I’m a Doctor’

Dr Victor Ratten was a significant figure in Tasmanian medicine during a long and often contentious career from World War I until the 1940s - but although he was popular with patients, he made enemies in the medical profession and was at the centre of a long-running dispute over hospital management. This book reveals that his medical qualification was bogus and details how he used bluff and political influence to gain advantage. Many aspects of his life were dubious - for instance, as a successful racehorse owner, he was banned for alleged race fixing. Author Dr Michael Hodgson has gathered evidence over forty years to make a portrait of this colourful and controversial character.