# Clair Isbister

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**Jean Sinclair "Clair" Isbister** [CBE](/source/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire), *née* **Paton** (12 September 1915 – 20 August 2008) was an Australian paediatrician.

She was born in [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane) to Peter Sinclair Paton and Hannah, *née* Beet. Dux of [St George Girls High School](/source/St_George_Girls_High_School), she won scholarships to study at the [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney).[1] She received a [Bachelor of Medicine](/source/Bachelor_of_Medicine) Sydney in 1938 and a Diploma of Child Health from the [University of London](/source/University_of_London) in 1949.[2] Having met James Isbister at university, she graduated with him in 1938, working first at [Royal Prince Alfred Hospital](/source/Royal_Prince_Alfred_Hospital) and then at the [Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children](/source/Royal_Alexandra_Hospital_for_Children). They were married at [Scots Church](/source/Scots_Church,_Sydney), Sydney, in 1940. She became consultant paediatrician at [Royal North Shore Hospital](/source/Royal_North_Shore_Hospital) in 1948, a position she held until her retirement in 1980.[1]

Isbister was the most prominent Australian paediatrician of her day, with radio and television appearances as well as books making her well-known. A staunch social conservative, she was on record opposing [premarital sex](/source/Premarital_sex), [de facto](/source/De_facto) relationships, infidelity and [abortion](/source/Abortion).[1] She was created an [Officer of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Officer_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) in 1969[3] and [Commander](/source/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) in 1977.[4][2] Associated with the [Festival of Light](/source/Festival_of_Light_Australia), she stood twice for the [Senate](/source/Australian_Senate) as a candidate for [Fred Nile](/source/Fred_Nile)'s [Call to Australia](/source/Call_to_Australia) group.

## Select publications

- Isbister, Clair (1971). *Birth, infancy and childhood*. Farleigh Press.
- Isbister, Clair (1976). *Birth of a family a guide for expectant parents and those who care about children*. Melbourne Thomas Nelson (Australia). ISBN 978-0-17-005062-3.
- Isbister, Clair (1985). *Breast feeding for modern mothers*. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-36635-6.
- Isbister, Clair (1992). *I'm sick! : when to call the doctor*. Sally Milner Publications. ISBN 978-1-86351-060-8.

## References

1. Stephens, Tony (26 August 2008). ["Fount of knowledge on mothercraft"](http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/fount-of-knowledge-on-mothercraft/2008/08/25/1219516365699.html). *[The Sydney Morning Herald](/source/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald)*

1. Lofthouse, Andrea (1982). *Who's Who of Australian Women*. Methuen Australia. p. 249.

1. [It's an Honour: OBE](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1106996)

1. [It's an Honour: CBE](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1064733)

## External links

- Bio of [Jean Sinclair Isbister](https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine/museum/mwmuseum/index.php/Isbister,_Jean_Sinclair), The University of Sydney School of Medicine Online Museum

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Clair Isbister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_Isbister) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_Isbister?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.