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Frances Ames - Human Rights Champion

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Frances Ames - Human Rights Champion IZINDABA FRANCES AMES - HUMAN RIGHTS CHAMPION One of South Africa’s most respected struck off the roll and Lang was destitute with three daughters. The doctors and human rights activists, reprimanded and cautioned, ending a family moved to Cape Town and the Frances Ames, died of leukaemia on 11 shameful period for the profession. daughters, of whom Frances was the November. During this time the SAMDC came second, were educated at Rustenburg In June 1999, Nelson Mandela under intense international pressure - school. awarded Ames with the ‘Star of Africa’, the British Medical Association even In 1942 Ames qualified with her MB the highest civilian award in the suggested that South African medical ChB, the first of four medical degrees country. qualifications not be recognised until from UCT, and then worked as an The University of Cape Town the matter was satisfactorily resolved. intern at Groote Schuur and a medical conferred the degree of MD Honoris officer at Brooklyn Chest Hospital. In Causa on her in 2001 ‘on the grounds of the 1950s she did her neurology training her excellence as an inspiring clinician, and started a family. By 1961, she was a teacher, moral exemplar and citizen of full-time consultant in neurology, and distinction’. she was the first woman to receive an MD degree from UCT in 1964. By 1967, Ames won international renown in she was one of a handful of South the 1980s for her sustained fight to Africans qualified as both a psychiatrist expose the conduct of the doctors and neurologist. In 1976 she became involved in the neglect of Steve Biko, head of the neurology department at who died in detention in 1977 after Groote Schuur. torture by security police. She married David Castle, a leader The SA Medical and Dental Council writer on the Cape Times who helped (SAMDC) initially exonerated Dr give the newspaper a strong liberal Benjamin Tucker, chief district surgeon voice during the early years of of Port Elizabeth, and Dr Ivor Lang, his apartheid. He died suddenly in 1967 district surgeon assistant, of disgraceful and Ames, then aged 47, faced raising conduct after they declared the tortured ‘The issues that Ames four young sons alone while working in Biko fit to travel from Port Elizabeth to raised, such as dual a male-dominated medical profession. a Pretoria prison hospital. After being loyalties, continue to occupy transported naked and manacled in the The family's domestic worker center stage in South Nomdlodla Rosalina, took over much of back of a police van, he was found dead African practice’ the following day. the mothering and housekeeping role for over 30 years. The two women Professor Ames and four colleagues became friends and after Rosalina’s raised money to apply for a Supreme With the money that had been death, Ames recorded the story of their Court injunction to force the SAMDC to donated by those sympathetic to her relationship in her book published last arraign the two doctors. They cause, Ames and Professor Peter Folb year entitled Mothering in an Apartheid demanded a full and open inquiry and initiated Medical Faculty Ethics Society. protested that the top medicine ethics Committees at UCT and Wits in the institution should make an unequivocal mid-1980s. Looking back on her career recently, Ames said she regretted having kow- statement about the duties of doctors to The issues that Ames raised, such as towed to her male colleagues. ‘I never patients under all circumstances. dual loyalties, continue to occupy center thought to question anything,’ she said, So began an eight-year battle to stage in South African practice, which put pressure on her dual role as establish the truth. It was a long especially in the context of the mother and doctor. Yet it was Ames struggle in which Ames put her career government’s response to HIV/AIDS. 14 who led a group of male doctors to on the line. As the sole breadwinner for Frances Rix Ames was born in challenge the South African medical four sons, she was even prepared to Pretoria on 20 April 1920, the daughter establishment and the security police in mortgage her house to pay the costs. of Frank and Georgina Ames. She spent the Biko case. After protracted proceedings, she was part of her childhood in an orphanage Her concern for human rights marked eventually granted the order with costs. after her mother, a nursing sister, was her entire career. In the 1980s she It was not until 1985 that Tucker was deserted by her husband and left January 2003, Vol. 93, No. 1 SAMJ IZINDABA before her death. She is survived by her sons (two of whom are doctors), Adrian, Jeremy, Ben and David, and three grandchildren. In a tribute to Ames, a colleague, Professor Trevor Jenkins, said she had initiated most of the action to conclude the Biko case. ‘When it appeared to be a lost cause, it was her determination that was the decisive factor in convincing colleagues to persevere’. MDPB’s Len Becker: ‘She will remain an example to us all’ her Melbourne psychology professor son, David Castle, published two Ames’ ashes were scattered articles together in 1998. Chairperson of the Medical and on the grounds of In fact, on her request, her ashes were Dental Professions Board, Professor Len Valkenberg mixed with scattered on the grounds of Valkenberg Becker, added that ‘her legacy is the hemp seed on her request. mixed with hemp seed. principle that it’s the responsibility of every practitioner to uphold these In 1997 UCT made her an emeritus ethical and moral issues – we cannot associate professor and she was counselled many political detainees. delegate that to another person or body. awarded with an MD Honoris Causa in When one prisoner, Simpiwe Mtimkulu, She will remain an example to us all’. 2001. died shortly after his release from Professor Brian Robertson, head of prison, she demonstrated that he had psychiatry at UCT, said that her been poisoned with thallium. Her legacy is the principle leadership in the human rights arena In 1997 she gave evidence at the that it’s the responsibility of had been ‘a beacon to everyone.‘ medical hearings of the Truth and every practitioner to uphold In a eulogy at her funeral on behalf of Reconciliation Commission, pointing UCT’s Psychiatry Department, Dr Greg out that Steve Biko was not the first but these ethical and moral issues — we cannot McCarthy humbly thanked Ames for the 46th detainee to die in custody. She her contribution to medicine. was praised by Archbishop Desmond delegate that to another [Significant extracts of this speech are Tutu as one of only a handful of doctors person or body. reproduced in the Forum obituaries who stood up to the regime. section in this journal.] She was also outspokenly critical of Ames was also a great campaigner for ‘Thank you for the example you have the ‘war on drugs’ and argued that pre-school education and improved pay set. Thank you for your dedication to dagga had been proved effective in the and working conditions for domestic teaching. Thank you for your treatment of multiple sclerosis, and workers. She typically donated the perseverance, your honesty and, above should thus be legally prescribable. Her proceeds of her book to the Quaker all, your integrity and courage. viewpoint seems to at last be vindicated Service for pre-school education – her Thank you for all you have done for with the decriminalisation of dagga ‘personal acknowledgement of past medicine, for professional ethics and for possession for medicinal use in Europe, privilege’. setting the standard of humaneness and Australia, Canada and some states in In retirement, Ames continued to humanity in this country. 15 the USA. teach neurology at the bedside to Hamba kahle Mfundisi wethu, lala Her 1958 article entitled ‘A clinical psychiatric registrars and to run the kakuhle ngoxolo - Go well, teacher, rest in and metabolic study of acute EEG department at Valkenberg peace.’ intoxication with cannabis sativa and its Hospital, as well as practise clinical role in the model psychoses’, is still medicine at Valkenberg and Alexandra quoted in today’s journals. Ames and Hospitals. She worked until six weeks SAMJ Newsteam January 2003, Vol. 93, No. 1 SAMJ.
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