“The brain is the organ of destiny…”
Wilder Penfield
These two men only spent a few days together, but they changed the way we perceive road safety. One is Lawrence of Arabia, the other Sir Hugh Cairns. TE Lawrence was a British Military intelligence officer, who in 1916 became an agent provocateur and leader in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. This was turning point in WW1, and reshaped the local politics, giving us the modern country of Turkey. Returning home to England, Lawrence resumed his passion for motorcycles. In 1935 at age 46 he suffered a catastrophic accident. Despite being transferred to the fledgling Radcliffe Neurosurgical unit in Oxford, Lawrence died 5 days later. For Cairns, the young neurosurgeon treating Lawrence, the experience was profound, leading to a lifelong study of blunt head trauma. That research led to the game changing concept of motorcycle helmets. Hugh Cairns was born in Port Pirie, received secondary schooling in the Riverland, secondary education at Adelaide High School, and was medical graduate of the University of Adelaide. A Rhodes scholarship took him to Oxford for the rest of his life. #anadelaidesurgeon? #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 