Today, we’re looking at a story that may not be as inspiring as many that could be told. It is an important story nonetheless. This is the story of Dr. Kenneth Neander Fenwick (1852-1896), and the women from whom he sought to deprive a medical education. … More The Story of Dr. Kenneth Fenwick and His Complex Legacy
James Sampson had a significant impact on Kingston’s history and development. … More The Story of James Sampson and the History of Kingston
Born in a log cabin in Almond, Wisconsin, in 1853, Henry Wellcome was one of the most influential pharmacological entrepreneurs and an avid collector of medical artefacts. … More The Story of Sir Henry Wellcome and the Wellcome Collection
Born in 1815, Dr. Crawford Long studied medicine and surgery under renowned scholars and had the opportunity to participate in several surgeries. Surgery was a different experience in the early nineteenth century because patients were not sedated and were in excruciating pain throughout the procedure. … More The Story of Dr. Crawford Long and the Ether Controversy
Perry Davis (1791–1862) was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on July 7, 1791. His parents owned no property and thus did not even show up on tax records at the time of Davis’ birth. By 1837, he had tried, unsuccessfully, to start multiple businesses, leaving him $4500 in debt. In 1840, Davis became so sick that his pain was debilitating. His solution? A mix of alcohol, opiates, and herbs, which would later be dubbed “Perry Davis’ Painkiller.” … More The Story of Perry Davis and His Painkiller
As part of the Historic Places Days’ challenge to explore the stories connected to our National Historic Site, we present to you the story of our site’s namesake through the life of lauded Superintendent of Nurses at KGH, Ann Baillie. … More The Story of Ann Baillie and Our National Historic Site
Born in 1781 in Brittany, France, Rene Laënnec (1781-1826) was the doctor who invented the stethoscope. … More The Story of Dr. René Laennec and His Stethoscope
Born in North Carolina in 1902, Dr. Leonidas Berry was one of the leading gastroenterologists of his time. After working as the first black intern at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, he went on to become a junior attending physician at Chicago’s Provident Hospital, the first American hospital owned and operated by African-Americans. … More The Story of Dr. Leonidas H. Berry and His Gastroscope
Dr. Wieman is an Anishinaabe woman from Manitoba, Little Grand Rapids First Nation. She grew up very poor with her adoptive non-Indigenous family as a victim of the Sixties Scoop. She had very little exposure to medicine prior to her entrance into McMaster University. After graduating from McMaster in 1993 with a medical degree and training in psychiatry, she became laser focused on improving the health and mental health of Indigenous Peoples and fighting Indigenous racism. … More Indigenous History Month: Dr. Cornelia Wieman
Dr. Oronhyatekha, meaning “Burning Sky” or “Burning Cloud”), also known as Peter Martin, a Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) became one of the first Indigenous persons in Canada to earn a medical degree on May 22, 1867. … More Indigenous History Month: Dr. Oronhyatekha
