BRADLEY, CLAUDIA PORTIA BURTON- (1909-1967), orthopaedist, was born on 28
November 1909 at Richmond, New South Wales, only daughter of native-born parents
Alan Godfrey Burton Bradley, farmer, and his wife Ruby Malvina, née Drayton. Alan
was the youngest child of Henry Burton Bradley. At 11 Claudia was diagnosed as
having diabetes. She spent a year in the Coast Hospital, Little Bay, becoming one
of the first diabetics in the world to receive insulin; for the rest of her life
she was to inject herself daily with insulin. She attended Cleveland Street
Intermediate High School, matriculated in 1928 and—styling herself
Burton-Bradley—enrolled as an evening student in pharmacy and in arts at the
University of Sydney (B.A., 1940; M.B., B.S., 1943). Apprenticed to a pharmacist
in King Street, she qualified in 1930 and was pharmacist at Western Suburbs
Hospital (1933-38). She had 'always wanted to study medicine' and supported
herself while completing her degrees.
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Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
Claudia Burton-Bradley, with a Bachelor of Arts, and Medicine and Surgery from Sydney University, commenced her medical career at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney in 1943 and joined the Australian Medical Association. Apparently having specialised in orthopaedic surgery, by 1947 she was honorary assistant orthopaedic surgeon at the Rachel Forster Hospital, Sydney. Her major commitment, however, was to the Spastic Centre, Mosman, New South Wales, where she became its medical director from 1945-1962, honorary orthopaedic surgeon from 1949 and director of medical research and development from 1962-1964. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 11 June 1966 for her work as Research Director of the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association.
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Australian Women's Register