Black, Eustace Couper (1886-1971)
Black, Roger Foster (1923-2008)  
Medical and Science Notebooks, 1906-1950

MSS 0155

Biographical Note

Dr. Eustace Couper Black was the son of John McConnell Black, author of Flora of South Australia (1922-1929). He graduated in medicine at the University of Adelaide in 1910 and subsequently travelled to the United Kingdom where he worked as a medical practitioner. When World War I was declared, he enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps and later served in France and East Africa. He married Julia Dixon in England during the war and returned with her to Adelaide in 1920. He was subsequently employed as a lecturer at the University of Adelaide and anaesthetist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide Children's Hospital.

Black participated in the Board for Anthropological Research expeditions in 1936, 1937 and 1939, assisting with the recording of anthropometric data and blood testing. During subsequent decades, Black recorded numerous Australian Aboriginal sites and carried out detailed surveys of Aboriginal scarred trees. Black suffered a stroke early in 1971 and died later that year.
(Black's collection of field notebooks and other archaeological and anthropological materials is held by the SA Museum.  Biography adapted from the SA Museum website.)

 

Roger Foster Black was born in Spalding, South Australia to Eustace and Julia Black and was schooled in Adelaide at St Peter’s College. He trained during the war years as an electrical engineer for the Royal Australian Air Force. After the war, he began a Science degree at the University of Adelaide which was completed at Sydney University where he majored in Botany, undertook Honours and also completed a Ph.D. in the uptake of salt by saltbush. Roger was then employed for a time in the mid 1950s by CSIRO at Griffith, before moving to Queensland in 1959 to work with the Department of Primary Industry. He shifted to Western Australia in the early 1970s where he worked for many years in the rehabilitation of mining sites.  He returned to Adelaide in 2003, working as a volunteer at the State Herbarium from October 2004 until shortly before his death.
 (Adapted from the ASBS Newsletter obituary, No. 136, September 2008)

These notebooks were donated to the Library in 2011 by Penny Black Tiong.

 

Contents Listing

Series 1:  Eustace C. Black. Notebooks of Professor Bragg’s lectures at the University of Adelaide 1906. 2 notebooks (4 cm.)

Notebooks record lectures by Professor William Henry Bragg attended by Eustace C. Black for first year Physics in 1906. Each lecture is illustrated with coloured diagrams. Topics covered include:

Notebook 1: Measurement, specific gravity, hydrostatics, gases, barometers, pumps, molecular forces, mechanics, parallelogram of forces, parallel forces, levers, centre of gravity, energy, pulleys, inclined planes, means of increasing power, machines, friction, lubrication, balances, elasticity, bending of beams, Newton’s law of force, gravity, magnetism, electricity, electrical machines, potential, Leyden jar, current electricity, galvanometer, resistance, batteries, primary cells, secondary cells.

Notebook 2: Electric batteries, electrolysis, electric currents, solenoid, induction coil, telegraph, telephone, electricity, radio-activity, heat, thermometry, thermometer, effect of heat on solids, expansion of gases, amount of heat, specific heat, latent heat, conditions of changes f state, vapour pressure, boiling or evaporation, conduction of heat; radiation, light and heat waves; light, refraction of light, lenses, wave motion; light, spectrum; spectroscope, theory of colour, polarisation, sound, music, fundamental and overtones, manometric flame [End of the course of lectures for first year physics]
Enclosed with Notebook 2 are: examination papers for Physics 1st term, Anatomy 2nd term, Chemistry 2nd term; and loose notes on biogenesis and other biology topics.

 

Series 2:  Roger Foster Black. Notebooks of Chemistry I lectures, University of Adelaide 1941.
2 notebooks (2 cm.)

Notebook 1: Chemistry lecture notes, with diagrams.
Notebook 2: Practical chemistry (notes and diagrams of experiments)

Below additions transferred from Flinders University, 2017

Series 3.1 Eustace Couper Black. Additional University of Adelaide notebooks. 4cm.

• Small notebook titled ‘Ophthalmic Notes’ – Adelaide University. E Couper Black.
• Notebook ‘Therapeutics’ University of Adelaide. Synopsis of lectures by Dr. Hayward. 27 loose leaf pages of patient notes. E. Couper Black.
• Notebook ‘Therapeutics’ University of Adelaide also includes Queensland Locum Notes. E. Couper Black.

Series 3.2: University of Adelaide notebooks by others. 9cm.

• Course guide notes. F. Swiggo 1949. Annotated by hand with tipped on notes and articles.
• Biochemistry Lectures. Second Year Med. 3rd Term 1924. By Professor T. B. Robertson
• John M. Dwyer. Anatomy Lectures. 1924.  By Professor Wood-Jones.
• John M. Dwyer. Histology Lectures. 1924. By Mr. Fuller. 

Series 4: Eustace Couper Black. Notebooks of lectures held in London. 1914. 4cm.

• 4 notebooks on Bones subtitled: Vertebrae and Ribs, Lower Extremity, Upper Extremity/Anatomical Drawings, Cranium/Face.  E Couper Black, London 1914.
• Notebook titled ‘Anatomy and Histology’ London 1914. Some coloured drawings.
• Notebook ‘Anatomy and Embryology’ London 1914. Some coloured drawings

Series 5: Notebooks from work undertaken at Adelaide Hospital. 2cm.

• Notebook titled: ‘Operative Surgery’
• Notebook ‘Clinical Notes’ Adelaide

Series 6: Eustace Couper Black. Notebooks. Unknown date and location (probably Adelaide). 5cm.

• Notebook titled ‘Particular Operations’ – Toxic Goitre, Hare Lip, Cleft Palate, Nose Throat, Summaries of operations performed. Includes 5 loose leaf pages, 4 pages of notes and 1 page from a book heading “Luxury Anaesthesia for Children”
• Notebook titled ‘Children’ includes 2 loose leaf pages
• Notebook ‘Blood Pressure’ 
• 2 Notebooks ‘Spinal’ and ‘Spinal 2’
• Notebook ‘Myology’
• Notebook ‘Deaths’

Series 7: Notebooks on equipment and pharmaceutical.  6cm

• Notebook titled ‘Intratracheal’ Includes loose leaf inserts relating to various apparatus throughout, including a letter from Down Brothers Ltd dated 23rd December 1930, a pamphlet for Magill’s Portable Intra-trchael Ether Apparatus’ and 5 photographs.
• Notebook titled ‘Premedication other than Avetin’       
• Notebook titled ‘Anaesthetics.’ General. Gastric surgery, Thoracic Surgery. Includes reprint of an article title ‘Cyclopropane Anesthesia in Thoracic Surgery / E. A. Rovenstine (1935)
• Notebook titled ‘Carbon Dioxide. Drinker Respirator.’ Includes loose leaf pages of notes and newspaper clippings on gas poisoning.
• Notebook titled ‘Avertin Records’ Includes loose leaf article on Avertin.
• Notebook titled ‘Avertin. Paraldehyde’ Includes patient notes.
• Notebook titled ‘Ether’ includes some loose leaf pages of articles and notes
• Notebook titled ‘Gas and Oxygen. Nitrous Oxide and Ethylene’ Includes loose leaf pages

Series 8: Other. 3cm

• Notebook titled ‘Birmingham and Midland Ear and Throat Hospital. Stock Book.’
• Handbook of the Historical Medical Museum. XVIIth International Congress of Medicine. London 1913.
• Sketch of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, by C.G. Paris. (Black and White)

Series 9: Miscellenous notes, articles and reprints. 18cm.

• Folder labelled ‘Anaesthesia Pentothal.’ Articles and notes
• Folder labelled ‘Thymus Paper.’ Articles and notes
• Folder labelled ‘Industrious Injuries and prevention.’ Correspondence, articles, typewritten notes and photographs
• Folder of handwritten notes labelled Syphilis
• Folder labelled ‘Ophthalmic Society of Australia.’ Minutes of meetings, newsletters etc.   
• Folder labelled ‘Industrial Eye Injuries.’ Notes both handwritten and typewritten.
• Folder labelled ‘Syphilis and Yaws.’ Reprints of articles
• Folder labelled ‘Anaesthetic Fatalities.’ Reprints, typewritten articles and notes.
• Folder of correspondence. Includes letters to both Eustace Black and John Dwyer.
• Folder labelled ‘Miscellaneous.’ Reprints and promotional handouts for pharmaceutical products.  

Cheryl Hoskin
March 2012

Additions listed by Marie Larsen
November 2019