Paul Smith Editor at Australian Doctor .

DR Kerri Parnell was my boss for five years . She had a big , contagious laugh ; a very well-developed sense of mischievous fun ; and a razor wit to go with it .

The easiest way for you to discover this was to offer an illinformed comment about general practice . Her specialty was disassembling the lazy views of the patronising partialist .

All of us who knew her were aware of her passion for general practice and the patients she cared for .

She died of cancer in 2017 . She was far too young .

An inspiration to me , nearly a decade from her death , I hope Australian Doctor continues to embrace the qualities she displayed , particularly the humour , passion and , not least , her fearless courage .

Today , 40 years after our first edition , we are read by 33,000 doctors every month . In terms of the analytics , we generate more than a million engagements and more than 180,000 page views .

The numbers are an abstraction , of course .

But they reflect what you will see in the pages that follow : your experiences as doctors in all their weird and wonderful diversity . This includes a lot of dark humour , but that is because the humour lightens the emotional load when medicine grapples with some of the deepest issues in life . Kerri knew that too . Our 40th anniversary is also a chance for me to say a heartfelt thanks to the Australian Doctor team — past and present .

I am lucky enough to work with exceptional people , including the many who have mentored me over years , whether they were aware of it or not .

If you get a chance , I encourage you to read through the staff names on page 18 .

This anniversary edition , and Australian Doctor itself , is also a reflection of their talents , dedication and hard work .

First edition

Dr Carolyn Russell

Brisbane , Queensland

IT started with a phone call at the front reception .

“ Can Dr Russell do a follow-up home visit ?”

Of course . Back in 2004 , this was not an unusual request . We did home visits , and we cared for all the patients in our practice — older , younger , families , palliative care , acute care .

This request was different though .

“ Can Dr Russell do a home visit ” was a request by an ED physician at the local hospital who had lain awake that night after seeing a patient who had presented with symptoms of a worsening URTI and lethargy .

He was unsure . Was there something else going on ? Was it a mental health issue he was overlooking ?

“ Well ,” he must have reasoned , “ I know this GP who is interested in mental health . Perhaps she could see the person , whose husband said she was a bit quiet at present and did not want to go out much .”

So I set off at the end of my morning clinic , driving the familiar back roads around our suburb towards this home I did not actually know .

The door was open as I parked , and a grey-haired man wearing a beanie came out to greet me . His name was Bill .

“ My wife does not feel like getting

out of bed today ,” he said . “ This cough , sinusy stuff and chest infection are really knocking her around .

“ I really appreciate you coming . Hope you can get her moving again .”

As we wandered through , I spent a little time in the lounge noticing the small things .

“ Well , we ’ re sort of separated currently , Doc ,” Bill continued . “ I ’ m sleeping out the back in the van , as she ’ s been so down and doesn ’ t want me around as much .

“ I cook some meals , but for about the past three weeks , she ’ s not eaten much . I ’ m worried she ’ s depressed . It ’ s been hard .”

What were the little things that caught my attention ? A pile of books that had not been moved in a long time on a dusty glass table ; family photos on the wall ; pictures of three adolescent children and a proud ,

Going into homes , you can see the small signs that show changes in a person ’ s capacity even prior to seeing the patient themselves .

Dr Carolyn Russell with her husband , Norton ,

Brisbane , 2006 .

round-faced and cheeky-looking

mum all pulling faces for the camera .

There was also dad and mum standing proudly with a new grandbaby .

“ How old is this little one now ?” I asked .