A visit to Australia and the Far East.

I had the good fortune to be appointed in 1973 to the first Wolfson Foundation Visiting Professorship in General Practice. The appointment entitles the holder, who must be a Fellow or Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in active practice in the United Kingdom or Eire, to spend four to six weeks in any part of the world. The terms of reference are wide and include consideration of undergraduate education, postgraduate education, research in general practice, and methods of providing medical care. Unlike previous opportunities for overseas travel for general practitioners, such as the Nuffield Overseas Fellowships, which were available to doctors in their late thirties or early forties, the Wolfson Professorship is awarded to senior members of the profession who are less likely to make original contributions to medical teaching or medical care after their appointment. The primary purpose is to take the experience and views of the Royal College of General Practitioners overseas, rather than to bring back new ideas which can be modified and adapted to the needs of the United Kingdom.