Professor Richard Lovell in interview with Dr Bryan Gandevia

At the start of the interview Richard Lovell, the first professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne 1956-1983 and biographer of Lord Moran, speaks of his family background and childhood, and his medical studies at St Mary's. Next, he reviews his period of National Service during the Second World War with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, when he travelled to destinations such as Norway, Sierra Leone and Singapore. After the war a short spell at The Brompton was followed by work at St Mary's with George Pickering, investigating the effects of cortisone. It was Pickering who eventually encouraged him to apply for the newly created chair in medicine in Melbourne because it was more exciting than opportunities arising in England at the time. The interview moves on to Professor Lovell's early years in Melbourne. He reflects on establishing a unit in one of the teaching hospitals, the Royal Melbourne, and the initial difficulties he experienced, as the first professor of medicine, in winning people's trust and recruiting staff. He talks about his early appointments, particularly Roger Mellick, Eric Clarke and Austin Doyle, and his links with the Papuan Medical College and periodic work as a consultant there. Professor Lovell then outlines research on hypertension conducted during his time in Melbourne: epidemiological studies to test whether the 'Western curve' of blood pressure was universal, a controlled trial on moderate hypertension, and his leading role in the Australian National Blood Pressure Study. This is followed by a discussion of his post-retirement work with bodies including the Australian Brewers' Association; Ethics Committee of the National Health & Medical Research Council; Victoria Anti-Cancer Council. The final section of the interview focuses on Professor Lovell's biography of Lord Moran, doctor of Winston Churchill; the problems encountered in writing biographies - empathy and judgement, and some detail about the life of Lord Moran