Arctic Bodies, Frontier Souls: Missionaries and Medical Care in the Canadian North, 1896-1926 by Walter J. Vanast A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History of Science) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Source: ProQuest Copyright: © 1996. Walter J. Vanast Used with permission of the author. UMI Number: 9610587 Copyright 1996 by Vanast, Walter J. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9610587 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A dissertation entitled '"Arctic Bodies; Frontier Souls': Missionaries and Medical Care in the Canadian North 1896-1926." submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Walter J. Vanast Degree to be awarded: December 19 May 19 96 August 19. Approved by Dissertation Readers: Major Professor Date of Examination DearGraduate School Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ARCTIC BODIES, FRONTIER SOULS: MISSIONARIES AND MEDICAL CARE IN THE CANADIAN NORTH, 1896-1926 by Walter J. Vanast A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (History of Science) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © Copyright by Walter J. Vanast 1996 All rights reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the course of this study, I was a doctoral fellow of the Hannah Institute for the History of Medicine (in 1989-91) and of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (1991-93). Grants from the Oblate Fathers of Canada, the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Heritage Fund for Medical Research, the National Film Board of Canada, and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta helped cover research expenses. Loans from private individuals, including Truus Vanast, Mies de Bruyn, Pat Tyrrell, Cathy Vanast, Denise Roy, and Jacqueline Duffin, saw me through the last two years. When, despite such help, funds ran short, my gracious landlady, Mrs. Laveme Zink, allowed the rent to go unpaid for months on end. Mary-Ellen and Joe Sensenbrenner, Madison neighbors, aided financially on several occasions when abandonment of the project seemed unavoidable. As well, they provided wisdom and common sense whenever I found the politically correct roilings of academe too painful. Gordon and Carol Rowing, who became my Wisconsin "family," opened their home for frequent visits, served innumerable meals, and offered constant encouragement. On one of my northern trips, Jane Ziehmke slaved day and night to gather archival materials. Sandra Dolan, in Fort Smith, introduced me to many elders and took time away from her own Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ii duties to show me the region. Lillian Redding, in Madison, spent long hours editing and proofreading chapters. Pat Hill provided an outsider's perspective on central themes as the work neared completion. I thank them all. Three people in particular offered valuable assistance in locating primary sources and explaining ecclesiastic terminology: Father Gilles Mousseau, at the Archives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of the Mackenzie, in Yellowknife; Sister Femande Champagne, at the Grey Nun Archives in Edmonton, and Father Gaston Montmigny, at the Oblate Archives in St. Albert, Alberta. In sharing their workspace, sometimes for weeks on end, they went well beyond the standard call of duty. Staff at the Archives of the Church of England in Canada, in Toronto, were also most courteous. None of this help would have borne fruit had it not been for my advisor, Professor Ronald L. Numbers, whose eye for a good story never got in the way of insisting that it make a point and relate to larger issues. His ability to nurture a friendship while exacting strict scholarly standards and crisp prose made for the most pleasant aspect of my return to school in middle age. As I have often told him, there is no better goad to hard work than the desire to emulate a much-respected teacher. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................... i CONTENTS............................................ iii ILLUSTRATIONS....................................... iv ABBREVIATIONS....................................... v POEM: DUNCAN PRYDE, "THE BREATH OF ARCTIC MEN" ........ vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION............................... 1 2. "TOBACCO CHRISTIANS": EARLY ANGLICAN-CATHOLIC COMPETITION IN THE NORTH,1850-1900 ............... 57 3. "FOR HUMANITY'S SAKE ALONE": PHYSICIANS IN THE MACKENZIE DISTRICT, 1890-1930.. 101 4. "THE EVIL OF CONJURING": ANGLICAN MISSIONARIES BATTLE TRADITIONAL HEALING, HERSCHEL ISLAND, 1897-1901... 158 5. "LE GRAND VOYAGE": DEATH, DISEASE, AND THE DIVINE AT THE FORT PROVIDENCE CATHOLIC BOARDING SCHOOL, 1900-1916... 206 6. "THE BABEL OF THE NORTH": MEDICAL CARE AND THE WORD OF GOD, FORT SIMPSON, 1914-1926.............. 280 7. "OUR GIRLS HAVE LEFT US FOR THE BETTER LAND:" THE TUBERCULOSIS EPIDEMIC AT THE HAY RIVER ANGLICAN BOARDING SCHOOL, 1924-25...................... 329 8. "HE WHO EATS POPE DIES OF IT": THE BUILDING OF COMPETING CATHOLIC AND ANGLICAN HOSPITALS AT AKLAVIK, 1925-1929...... 362 9. CONCLUSION................................ 419 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page l. The Mackenzie District........................ 2 2 . The Mackenzie District tribes................ 3 3. Mission posts in the MackenzieDistrict ....... 4 4. Early missionaries' route to the Mackenzie.... 70 5. Hay River: Anglican island in a sea of Catholics..................... 333 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V ABBREVIATIONS Archival Sources AAT Archives of the Church of England in Canada (the Anglican Church), Toronto. ARCY Archives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of the Mackenzie, Yellowknife, N.W.T. GNAE Grey Nun Archives, Edmonton, Alta. NAC National Archives of Canada, Ottawa. OASA Oblate Archives, Grandin Province, St. Albert, Alberta. PAA Provincial Archives, Province of Alberta, Edmonton. Catholic and Anglican Mission Diaries Codex Codex Historicus: daily journal kept by senior Oblate priest at each MacKenzie District Catholic mission. Chr. Chroniques: daily record of the senior Grey Nun at Mackenzie District hospital or convent school. J Journal: daily record of an Anglican Mission. SJ Daily journal of the Simpson Anglican mission. McPJ Daily journal of the McPherson Anglican mission. Individual Missionaries' Diaries and Papers IOS Isaac 0. Stringer diaries 21-23, AAT M74-3, series 1-B, box 5, Stringer Papers. SAS Sarah Ann (Sadie) Stringer diaries, AAT, M74-3, series 2-C, box 14, Stringer Papers. LP Lucas Papers, AAT. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Geographic Sites A k l . Aklavik HI Herschel Island McP Fort McPherson NWT Northwest Territories Prov. Fort Providence Simp. Fort Simpson R e s . Fort Resolution To avoid unnecessary repetition, northern posts are often referred to without the "Fort" part of their name; thus, Resolution, rather than Fort Resolution. Organizations. DIA Department of Indian Affairs HBC Hudson's Bay Company NWC Northwest Company NWMP Northwest Mounted Police NWTB Northwest Territories and Yukon Branch of the Department of the Interior. RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police. RNWMP Royal Northwest Mounted Police Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Tell me Man of the south Did you know the people of the inland lakes Who vainly sought for caribou in an east-wind summer And did they really die through lack of food Or was it witchcraft And did you know the boy who scorned a winter parka Until we found him lying on his back With one hand clenched And a mouth full of snow And did you know the child with the gasping breath Who coughed a path into memory And left a crying father And a woman nursing swollen breasts Tell me Man of the south Can you offer more than this For this and more Is but the breath Of Arctic men Duncan Pryde1 1Duncan Pryde, "The Breath of Arctic Men," North/Nord (July/August 1971): 36. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION "Remember that the Holy Eucharist is not a reward but a preventative and a medicine and should be administered as such." Gabriel Breynat, Catholic Bishop of the Mackenzie, urging missionaries to admit more children to communion, 1904.1 This study examines the interface of western medicine and Christian ministration