Harry Harris and his contribution to suprapubic prostatectomy

In 1928 Harry Harris of Sydney published an account of his new operation "Prostatectomy with complete closure" (J. Coll. Surg. Aust. 1, 65-7, 1928), in which he reported a degree of success unsurpassed in the world. This 'Harris prostatectomy' was a technique of precision, planned to achieve primary closure of the bladder as a routine procedure. This operation was ignored at the time but during the late 1930s it gained Harris a world-wide reputation and was widely adopted in Britain, in Europe and in Australasia. The procedure then largely fell into disuse for reasons which will be discussed later. The place of this operation in the history of prostatectomy is fading from memory, and Harris' name is in danger of being forgotten, as Maurice Ewing (Aust. N.Z.J. Surg. 47, 531-6, 1977) pointed out in his Harry Harris Memorial Oration in 1969.