Pioneering hospital celebrates medical milestones

RCI | English : Reports

The Montreal General Hospital was founded in 1821 and is famous for many medical firsts including the fact that its founding doctors established Canada’s first faculty of medicine program at McGill University. The hospital treated patients through several major outbreaks of disease from the deadly flu pandemic of 1918 to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now one of only three Level 1 trauma centres in the province of Quebec. It is part of Canada’s largest hospital system called the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

‘No shortage of history makers’

“The Montreal General Hospital has no shortage of history makers in its first 200 years,” said MUHC President and Executive Director Dr. Pierre Gfeller. “While Sir William Osler, credited with pioneering bedside teaching in Canada, is often named, consider that the hospital might not have existed as early as it did were it not for the Female Benevolent Society, which identified the need for the four-bed ‘House of Recovery’ to address poverty and illness in the city. Then there is Miss Nora Livingston, whose founding of the School of Nursing helped transform the profession, and Drs William Wright and Eleanor Percival, the hospital’s first Black and Female attending physicians. Their actions and those of many more have altered the course of our institution, health system and community.”

Sir William Osler, introduced the novel practice of having medical students learn not only in class but at patients’ bedsides. (University of Pennsylvania archives)

Cancer break though and pain research celebrated

To celebrate the hospital’s 200th anniversary there will be a large-scale exhibition posted online and several other activities. The virtual exhibit is billed as a journey through the two centuries of hospital history, medical innovation and exceptional individuals and teams. It features photos, artwork, text and videos from local and national collections and takes viewers through the excitement of the biomedical revolution. It highlights breakthroughs such as Dr. Phil Gold and Dr. Samuel Freedman’s discovery of the first biomarker for cancer and Dr. Ronald Melzack’s contributions to pain theory which paved the way for research and treatment.

Nora Livingston pioneered nursing education and introduced standards to elevate the level of patient care. (Montreal General Hospital)

Hospital was funded through philanthropy

The Montreal General Hospital was one of the first public healthcare institutions in Montreal, and it relied largely on funding from community sources. Although health care is publicly funded in Canada, the General still benefits greatly from philanthropy.

Besides the virtual exhibition, the year’s activities will include a book launch by celebrity hockey surgeon Dr. David Mulder and public lectures on topics ranging from Mental Health and Aging to Trauma and Emergency Care. The theme for this anniversary is Reaching and Exceeding and is inspired by the quote from the poet Robert Browning, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” The logo features an infinity symbol, which the hospital says represents the endless pursuit of excellence of healthcare workers and support staff.

The anniversary logo features an infinity symbol, meant to represent the endless pursuit of excellence. (MUHC)