umve 1tv of Calg ~ Heal h Science Li .... Alberta Medical Foundation Medicine in Al be rta: Historical Reflections 75th Anniversary D.R. Wilson, M.D. W.B. Parsons, M.D. • Dr. Robert G. Brett Edited by Carl Betke, PhD 1993 ..______• -------- Alberta Medical Foundation l\1EDICINE IN ALBERTA: HlSTORICAL REFLECTIONS with a Foreword by R.S. Fraser a n~f Dr. J. Robert I ampar<l 12230 - 106 A venue NW President Edmonton, AB TSN 3ZI Tel ( 403) 482-2626 Fax (403 ) 482-5 445 E-mail AMA_MA IL@a mda.ab.ca FOREWORD R.S. Fraser In 1980 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding . To recognize the occasion, but only shortly before it, the College decided to assemble a number of histories to describe the significant progress in health care in this province. To initiate the endeavour the College established a "History of Medicine Committee" with the intention of supplementing the information recorded in Early Medicine in Alberta by Dr. Heber Jamieson. The original members of the Committee were: Drs. R.J. Johnston (Chairman) , R. Kenneth Thomson, W .B. Parsons, and Donald R. Wilson. In 1980 Dr. Parsons became Chairman and Drs. Alan Hepburn (as representative from the Alberta Medicine Association) and Hugh Arnold were added . At the meeting of October 16, 1979, the Assistant Registrar, Dr. C.R. Giles, expressed doubt that the project could be completed for the 75th anniversary celebrations. His concern was well founded , but, at Dr. Wilson's initiative, editing of the collected contributior:is was resumed a decade later and has now finally been completed ... in 1993. Medicine has moved with increasing speed into the scientific age of cellular anatomy, magnetic resonance imaging, genetic manipulc~tion and informatics. The practising physician strains to remain informed while trying to provide services to an informed and occasionally demanding ll public. But medicine remains a profession, its practitioners determined to serve in the interest of those who seek help ;rnrl relit>:f from worry, pain and illness. In this spirit, it is fitting that we periodically contemplate the experience and wisdom of our predecessors, recognizing their struggles and appreciating their successes. This publication could have been encyclopaedic in scope, but the wisdom of the Committee led to the selection of a limited number of disparate topics that reflect health care in a broad sense. Some 40 subjects that were originally considered were reduced to a more manageable list and submissions were solicited from persons who had contributed in those fields. Not all were completed, and some were not extensive enough to include, so there are obvious gaps that await future treatment. Some of the writers had retired and a number have since died . Regrettably, a few submissions bore no evidence of authors' identities, and for some we have been unable to rectify that. The variety of subject matter and the differing styles and depth of treatment led the College to refer the work to the Archives Committee which, upon dissolution, passed the materials to the Alberta Medical Foundation. Owing largely to the persistence and persuasive enthusiasm of its first president, the late Dr. Donald R. Wilson, the project was revived and received funding from the Foundation. The Foundation engaged the services of historian Carl Betke, Ph.D. to "organize and edit this collection of articles while preserving the original content and improving the clarity and lll continuity". Th is he has accomplished in a most professional manner. Wherever possible the final article has been submitted to the author for comment or correction. We regret that some authors remain unknown to us but hope that both they and those who have not lived to see the publication of their work would have approved of the product. To all contributors we extend our thanks. May this collection serve to remind physicians of the contributions of our predecessors and encourage us to preserve medicine as a serving profession. Robert Fraser, M .D . Past President, Alberta Medical Foundation October 30, 1993 CONTENTS Foreword .... R.S. Fraser Contents . iv I. Selected Elements in the Health Care Svstems The Development of Alberta Hospitals Since World War II ........ l R.K.C. Thomson Public Health ..... .............................. 22 W.B. Parsons and Charles More The Development of Prepaid Medical Care in Alberta to 1969 ...... 33 W.B. Parsons The Pensioners' Medical Fund, 1947 - 1967 . 61 Author Unidentified The Order of St. J oho (St. J oho Ambulance) . 64 D.R. Wilson II. Special I'vfedical Concerns Tuberculosis in Alberta: 1905 - 1980 . 69 H.H. Stephens Evolution of the Venereal Disease Program in the Province of Alberta . 92 D.R. Wilson, with Paul Rentier v IIJ. Medicine in a Crisis Atmosphere Medicine in Alberta: The War Years . .. .... .. .. .. ... ... ...... .. 97 W.B. Parsons IV. Education and Research The Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, 1913 - 1969 .. .. .... .. 108 D.R. Wilson Memoirs of a Career in Medical Education in Alberta, 1914 - 1959 . ...... .. .... 120 John W . Scott The University of Alberta Department of Medicine, 1954 - 1969: A Personal Review . .. 136 D.R. Wilson Early Diagnostic Cardiology at the University of Alberta: The Development of Catheterization in the 1950s and 1960s . ...... .. ... ... .... ... .. .. .. ........ .. 153 R.S. Fraser The University of Alberta Medical Alumni Association . ... ... .. ............. 179 A.G. Markle The Gladys and Merrill Muttart Foundation . .............. 185 D.R. Wilson The Origins of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary ...... ..... .... 190 D.R. Wilson and D.L. McNeil Reflections on the Development of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary . 196 D .L. McNeil, with A.K. Kirchner The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research .... .............. .... 214 J.E. Bradley The McLaughlin Examination and Research Centre .. .. ....... ...... ...... 219 D.R. Wilson V. Professional Oq~anizations The Alberta Medical Association from 1906 to 1980 .. ..... .. ...... 228 H.E. Harper The College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Alberta Medical Association, 1948 - 1968: The Separation . ...... .. ...... ....... ... ... ....... 236 M. Sereda Formal Initiatives in Public Relations, 1957 - 1979n ........ ...... ......... 242 W.B. Parsons Modern Developments in the Alb-erta Medical Association .. ... .... ..... ... 248 R.F. Clark The College of Family Practice . ............. .................. .. ... 287 Author Unidentified The Alberta Thoracic Society ...................... 290 Author Unidentified The Alpha Omega Alpha Honour Medical Society ............... .......... 292 D.R. Wilson The Development of Alberta Hospitals Since World War I1 R.K.C. Thomson The North West Mounted Police built and staffed the first hospitals in Alberta, first at the original barracks of Fort Macleod in 1874, and then Fort Walsh in 1875 and in Calgary in 1883 . Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through Alberta in 1883 brought new communities, where general hospitals appeared in Medicine Hat in 1889 and Calgary in 1890. At St. Albert, a community that had developed earlier out of the fur trade, the Grey Nuns served a hospital built in 1881 very well, even though they were not trained nurses. The physicians of Edmonton brought their patients to this hospital until the Edmonton General Hospital was built fourteen years later. From these origins, as settlement boomed after the tum of the century, Alberta's hospital tradition developed. Control and Financing In the early days of Alberta's history, the hospital were autonomous institutions operated by charitable organizations, local groups and sometimes by local governments. With increased citizen demand and. increasing costs, government .participation became necessary - first muuicipal, then provincial and eventually federal. The independence of early hospital boards was based on their ability to levy taxes and elect members directly, but the involvement of senior levels of government eroded local autonomy. It is understandable that governments were reluctant to expend public funds without having some control, but as a result governments at 2 vanous levels used spending powers to set hospital policy, reducing hospital boards' independence. The financing of hospital costs in Alberta has varied. Under the Municipal Hospitals Act of 1918, the government had introduced a form of hospital insurance providing basic hospital care for ratepayers at $1 per day user fee. A non-ratepayer could secure coverage by purchasing a $10 "ticket" . Beyond a provincial per diem grant, further revenue came from each hospital board's power to requisition funds from the municipalities within the hospital district. Changes in the Municipal Hospital Act in 1950 permitted municipalities outside a hospital district to contract out their hospital requirements to a hospital in a nearby district. The hospital provided basic care and the municipality assumed all approved basic costs above the $1 per day user fee and the province then reimbursed the municipality for one-half its costs. The Alberta Hospitalization Benefits Plan of 1957 completely covered hospitalization costs and reduced the need for municipal contribution. The requisition was set at a province-wide levy of 4 mills per annum on a uniform assessment. This money went into the provincial general revenue fund to be redistributed among the municipalities according to need. This 4 mill levy was abolished by amendments in the Municipal