The Labrador Memoir of Dr Harry Paddon, 1912-1938 (Volume 17) (McGill-Queen's/Associated McGill-Queen's/Associated Medical Services Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society) - Hardcover

Paddon, Harry; Rompkey, Ronald

9780773525054: The Labrador Memoir of Dr Harry Paddon, 1912-1938 (Volume 17) (McGill-Queen's/Associated McGill-Queen's/Associated Medical Services Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 077352505X ISBN 13: 9780773525054

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003

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A memoir of the experiences of the Grenfell Mission's resident physician in North West River.

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Review:

"Romantic, adventurer, a doctor who made house calls across hundreds of miles, Harry Paddon belongs to a long-vanished, breed. His memoir reveals to readers not just the challenges, from the climatic to the demographic, of pre-Confederation Labrador but also topics as varied as the behaviour of sled-dogs, the origins of beri-beri, and how to survive black flies. All of this is set into context by an exceptional introduction by Ronald Romkey. Richard Gwyn, author and columnist "An elaborate reconstruction from journal-letters circulated to members of Dr Paddon's family in Great Britain and from various articles he published throughout his career. The description of medical practices, methods of travel, community life, and Dr Paddon's experiences during the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 make this book a valuable resource. Rompkey has done a fine job of annotating the book, providing explanations of the specialized vocabulary unique to Newfoundland and Labrador, identifying individuals mentioned in the text, producing maps to help readers follow Paddon's extensive travels, and concluding with a list of Paddon's publications. Margaret Conrad, Department of History, Acadia University "The Labrador Memoir of Dr Harry Paddon, 19121939 adds to the extensive travel literature on Labrador and also highlights the rigours of social conditions between 1912 and 1938. This is a welcome addition to the literature." John Crellin, author of Home Medicine: The Newfoundland Experience

Synopsis:

Dr Harry Paddon's memoir is an extensive account of life in Labrador prior to its entry into Confederation. As the Grenfell Mission's principal physician for over twenty-five years, Dr Paddon travelled extensively throughout Labrador by both dog team and boat. Through his journals he fashions a portrait of Labrador society in accord with the traditional rhythms of trapping and fishing, as it was before the onset of industrial development. He also chronicles the demands of northern medicine in response to pervasive threats such as tuberculosis and deficiency diseases, including a moving description of the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-19. Paddon's memoir gives the reader a sense of the resident Innu, Inuit, and settler communities, as well as the prevailing institutions of non-governmental authority: the Hudson's Bay Company, the Moravian Mission, and the International Grenfell Association. At a time when Labrador is undergoing further industrial development and social change, his writings, carefully edited and annotated by Ronald Rompkey, the biographer of Sir Wilfred Grenfell, capture the heart of the region and its people.

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