Retiring surgeon believes a bit of obsession goes a long way

Orthopaedic surgeon John Matheson retired from Dunedin Hospital last week. Photo by Haley Thom
Orthopaedic surgeon John Matheson retired from Dunedin Hospital last week. Photo by Haley Thom

John Matheson, an orthopaedic surgeon who retired last week after a 35-year career at Dunedin Hospital, believes a bit of obsession goes a long way in surgery.

''You have to be a bit obsessive-compulsive. I am absolutely. You can't assume anything because that means it hasn't happened,'' he said.

Mr Matheson, who graduated as a doctor from the University of Otago in 1974, believes the fine motor skills required in surgery are ''trainable'' - but the ability to connect with patients is more innate.

''Most people are trainable, but what isn't trainable is the attitude to dealing with people, and the biggest thing I talk to my juniors about is ethics.''

Mr Matheson - who will continue to run a private clinic at Mercy Hospital and teach postgraduate medical students - believed surgery's reputation as a ''bullying boys' club'' was no longer accurate, and while long hours and ''words said under stress'' were still the norm, the atmosphere in surgery at Dunedin Hospital was ''more convivial [as] there are better hours and less demands''.

''Every hospital in the country has been accused of bullying, but there is a fine line between being held accountable and someone being bullied, and that is one of the difficulties. But by and large, I think bullying only occurs in a significant minority.''

Mr Matheson's most memorable cases were ''serious, complex trauma cases'', but he much preferred elective surgeries, when there was time to meticulously plan and discuss the surgery with patients.

Listening to music while operating was ''vital'' - and '80s pop classics were a favourite, he said.

''We take a vote on what we'll play. Some of my colleagues like classical, but I like the golden oldies while I work.''

Long an outspoken doctor, Mr Matheson has issues with operating on severely obese patients or smokers as it ''increases surgery risks and healing time so significantly'' and also with patients going out of the country, or even the district, for surgery.

''What happens in the follow-up care is just as important as what happens in surgery. I like to follow up closely with my patients for years afterwards.

"We've had issues with people going north for surgery because of the long wait times here, and what tends to happen is they come back and might have a problem and we don't know anything about the surgery or their issues. I feel quite strongly it's a bad thing to do,'' he said.

Since finishing at Dunedin Hospital last week, Mr Matheson planned to spend more time in his rhododendron garden, and with his wife, Pattie.

''I am 65, and I had always planned to retire at this age ... But I feel very privileged to have done what I have done.''

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