He returned to England, but sustained a severe fall from a horse. Because of the ill-health resulting from this, he decided to come to Australia. He became a ship’s surgeon on a ship which arrived in Melbourne in 1879.

Dr Warren became Resident Medical Officer at the Yarra Bend Asylum for two years, and then resident surgeon of the Geelong Hospital. He then settled down in private practice in Church Street Richmond and was Honorary Medical Officer at the Collingwood Free Medical Dispensary.

Templeton queried the reasons why, despite his orthodox history, he subsequently applied for positions in the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital, stating that “his conversion was suspiciously swift”. However, there is a record of an Australian, a Dr W. Warren, who received qualifications (honorary) from the Pulte Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio (a homœopathic college) in 1882. If this was the same person, then his later interest in homœopathy was understandable.

From 1882 to 1886 Dr Warren was Honorary Physician at the Alfred Hospital. In 1883 he had a private practice at Church Street, Richmond, while in 1886 he was recorded as having practices at 205 Church Street and at Studley Park Road, Kew. In Kew he was appointed health officer for the district until 1893, then commenced practice in Collins Street, Melbourne. About 1888 he returned to Great Britain, where he undertook postgraduate work (MKQCP 1888, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland).

In 1892 (according to the Australasian Medical Directory), or 1893 (according to Templeton), Dr Warren was appointed Honorary surgeon at the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital. The Australasian Medical Gazette of 15 May 1894 reported that had been appointed to the Honorary Medical Staff in the Out-door Patient Department of the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital. He resigned in 1902 to take up a position in London, but when he returned, he was appointed as Honorary Physician from 1905 to 1918. According to Templeton, he was originally accepted to the position at the Hospital “on condition that his prescriptions would be strictly homœopathic in hospital and in his own private practice as well”, which he duly promised. However, Templeton recorded that “we know that he was sometimes reprimanded for prescribing ‘allopathic’ medicines.”

In 1896 Dr Warren was recorded as having a private practice at Collins Street, with his private residence being at “Park House”, Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. According to the 1911 edition of the Australasian Medical Directory, his practice was at 151 Collins Street, and in 1915 it was at 177 Collins Street.

© Barbara Armstrong