MUSEUM BLOG
The Story of Dr. Harold Tovell and His Love of Art and Medicine
Dr. Harold M. Tovell was born in 1887, and is considered one of Toronto’s pioneering radiologists. He was an arts and medical student at the University of Toronto, which was where he met his wife Ruth Lillian Massey through her cousin Vincent Massey, the first Canadian to hold the position of Governor General of Canada. Tovell and Massey were married in 1910 and lived first in New York and then in Munich, where Tovell trained under Dr. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the discoverer of x-rays.
The Story of Queen Victoria and Canadian Public Health
Today would have been Queen Victoria’s 203rd birthday! Victoria Day was established as a holiday in the Province of Canada in 1845, and now is celebrated on the last Monday before May 25th every year in her honour. Queen Victoria impacted Canadian health care practices and the history of Kingston in a number of surprising and fascinating ways!
The Story of Dr. Frank Mellow and his Electrostatic Generator
The name Dr. Frank Ernest Mellow is attached to forty-three different artefacts here at the Museum of Health Care, not the least of which is the massive electrostatic generator currently on display in our “Electricity and the Invisible Ray” gallery!
The Story of William Conrad Roentgen and his Roentgen Rays
Discoverer of the X-ray, William C. Roentgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 and contributed to over 1000 academic articles and publications.
The Story of Dr. Jabez Henry Elliott and his Medical Career
grandfather Henry Elliott. Known as a compassionate, good natured man, Dr. Elliott graduated with honours from the University of Toronto in 1897, earning the gold medal and the George Brown Scholarship.
The Story of Bian Que and his X-ray Vision
Bian Que (lived circa 400-200 BCE) is a figure around which many famous tales swirl. Said to be the earliest known physician in Chinese history, the legend goes he raised a prince from a comatose state, foretold the death of a lord who refused treatment for an invisible illness, and even performed a double heart transplant using anaesthesia!
The Story of Orlando S. Strange and the City of Kingston
Orlando Strange was known as a leading physician and surgeon of the City of Kingston. He was even Kingston's mayor in 1859!
The Story of Joseph Poliakoff and his Hearing Technologies
He invented the paging beeper and the magnetic induction loop used in hearing aids. His greatest passion was in improving hearing technology for the deaf and hearing impaired.
The Story of Dr. A.W. Chase and his Receipt Books
Dr. A. W. Chase created home remedies, recipes, and products - sold well after his death in 1885.
The Story of Dr. Harry Prosen and his Work in Psychiatry
Canadian-American psychiatrist Dr. Harry Prosen worked with humans and animals over his lengthy career.