Hilda Bull

Hilda Bull (1886–1953), also known by her married names Hilda Esson and Hilda Dale, was an Australian public health physician and amateur actress and theatre director. She studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and worked as a doctor in London during the First World War, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel in the British medical service. She later spent 23 years working as a medical officer for the Melbourne City Council and became known for her work in combatting infectious diseases. During her tenure, thousands of inoculations were delivered and the number of annual deaths from diphtheria fell from 14 to zero. She later expanded her work to addressing other communicable diseases and achieved worldwide recognition for her research into poliomyelitis.

Hilda was the wife of the playwright and author Louis Esson and assisted in researching and drafting many of his plays. She was a founding member of the Melbourne University Dramatic Society and acted in a number of plays performed by the Pioneer Players, an amateur theatre company founded by her husband. She later became involved in the New Theatre and directed 15 of their productions. She was actively involved in Australian literary circles throughout her life, including through her close lifelong friendship with the author Katharine Susannah Prichard.

Hilda eventually separated from Louis and entered a relationship with John Dale, the chief medical officer at the Melbourne City Council. They retired in 1950 and married in 1951 before moving to The Hague. In 1952, a car accident in Italy killed John and seriously injured Hilda. She eventually recovered from her injuries and moved back to Melbourne, but died six months later on 29 June 1953.