Category: History of Healthcare

News Release–Museum of Health Care at Kingston contributes expertise to new Heritage Minute

May 25, 2021

As Canada’s foremost resource for medical and health related artifacts, the Museum of Health Care was a natural choice to aid with the project. With a collection of over 40,000 items, some of which are the last of their kind, and Collection Manager Kathy Karkut’s extensive experience, Historica was sure to present a historically correct depiction of the events leading to the miraculous discovery. Historica provided Kathy with a list of images of selected medical items they were using for the video for her review. Kathy was then able to provide the correct version for these items from the Museum’s 1915 medical supplies catalogue and images of similar items in its collection. This provided Historica with the framework to locate the correct medical items suitable to a ward at the Toronto General Hospital in 1922. … More News Release–Museum of Health Care at Kingston contributes expertise to new Heritage Minute

Activities from Home #6: Early Canadian Societies (Grades 3-4)

April 22, 2021

Explore the interactions between European and Indigenous peoples prior to 1713 and the resulting consequences in relation to medicine and the spread of disease. Demonstrate the contributions made by Indigenous peoples to current medical practices by learning to create a poultice; a paste made of anti-inflammatory ingredients as an early 18th century medical apprentice. … More Activities from Home #6: Early Canadian Societies (Grades 3-4)

Activities from Home #4: Mixing Medicine and Media (Grades 6-8)

April 22, 2021

Students will apply their knowledge of the evolution of pharmaceutical medicines in health care and the function of medicinal ingredients to create their own tincture in alignment with historical practices. Students will also apple their understanding of past pharmaceutical advertising methods, and prevalence of Patent Medicine in historical societies to create their own Patent Medicine trading card. … More Activities from Home #4: Mixing Medicine and Media (Grades 6-8)

Activities from Home #6: Early Canadian Societies (Grades 5-6)

April 22, 2021

Explore the interactions between European and Indigenous peoples prior to 1713 and the resulting consequences in relation to medicine and the spread of disease. Demonstrate the contributions made by Indigenous peoples to current medical practices by learning to create a poultice; a paste made of anti-inflammatory ingredients as an early 18th century medical apprentice. … More Activities from Home #6: Early Canadian Societies (Grades 5-6)

Activities from Home #5: Ancient Societies & Wellness (Grades 4-6)

April 22, 2021

Students will apply their knowledge of advancements in healthcare practices in ancient societies to complete this activity. Students will exercise their understanding of standards of practice dating to ancient Egypt, and the intersection with Egyptian religious beliefs to simulate mummification and burial practices. … More Activities from Home #5: Ancient Societies & Wellness (Grades 4-6)

Activities from Home #4: Mixing Medicine and Media (Grades 4-5)

April 22, 2021

Students will apply their knowledge of the evolution of pharmaceutical medicines in health care and the function of medicinal ingredients to create their own tincture in alignment with historical practices. Students will also apple their understanding of past pharmaceutical advertising methods, and prevalence of Patent Medicine in historical societies to create their own Patent Medicine trading card. … More Activities from Home #4: Mixing Medicine and Media (Grades 4-5)

“Something Permanent for the Country”: The Sir Oliver Mowat Memorial Tuberculosis Sanatorium

January 30, 2021

An often overlooked part of Kingston’s rich medical history, the Sir Oliver Mowat Memorial Tuberculosis Sanatorium, or simply the Mowat Sanatorium, enjoyed an important, if short-lived, role in the fight against tuberculosis in Canada. … More “Something Permanent for the Country”: The Sir Oliver Mowat Memorial Tuberculosis Sanatorium

The Wild and Wacky World of Drug Advertisements

September 19, 2020

Back in the late 1800s, a time where saying yes to drugs might have actually been encouraged, patent medicines promised wild and wonderful cures. These medicines, as opposed to those prescribed by a doctor, were loosely regulated; leading to extravagant claims and dangerous, often unlisted, ingredients. From cure-alls to cough syrup, these medicines promised to treat a variety of ailments for those who could not afford a private doctor’s visit, although they would often do more harm than good. … More The Wild and Wacky World of Drug Advertisements

Maternal Mental Health Care

September 8, 2020

More so than practically any other healthcare subject, mental health topics have acquired a need in recent decades for routine updating and research to compensate for centuries of misinformation. The infiltration of the Maternal Mental Hygiene movement and Attachment Theory into the minds and maternity manuals of Canada can shed light onto the progression of the treatment of maternal mental health across the decades. … More Maternal Mental Health Care

Electroconvulsive Therapy: Controversial, even at Conception

August 8, 2020

On March 9, 2020, Justice Minister David Lametti introduced Bill C-8, which would amend Canada’s Criminal Code to ban Conversion Therapy. With this ban being proposed in the House of Commons, it is important to understand the history of Conversion Therapy, as well as how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has played a key role in the practice. … More Electroconvulsive Therapy: Controversial, even at Conception