Doctors
Doctors provide us with a sense of comfort as they look to bring us back to ideal health. Their advice, guidance and honesty goes a long way in establishing a trusting relationship that a doctor and patient must have.
Early Doctors in Chilliwack
In 1886 the British Columbia Medical Act passed and the College of Physicians and Surgeons formed. The development of medical schools and the deployment of physicians throughout the province followed.
Chilliwack did not have a full time medical practitioner until the end of the 1880s. Before this date, Mary Ann Kipp, wife of Isaac Kipp, provided some care, particularly midwifery. Prior to arriving in Chilliwack in 1866, she spent time with a doctor at her Ontario home learning the basics of medical practice.
Dr. Donald MacLean, an American civil war doctor, who moved north to the gold rush town of Yale during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, arrived in Chilliwack in 1883 but his stay was short. He relocated to New Westminster where he died in 1893.
Dr. James Cotter Henderson, the University of Glasgow trained physician, is acknowledged to be Chilliwack’s first full-time doctor. He arrived in 1887, practicing medicine until about 1925 when his son, Dr. Ewert Henderson took over his practice.
Next to join Henderson was Dr. Robert McCaffrey who arrived in 1904. In his early years, he travelled by horse and buggy, canoe and boat to reach his patients in Hope, Harrison Mills, Abbotsford and Red Mountain mine in the Chilliwack River Valley. Except for a stint in the Royal Medical Corp where he was stationed in Salonica during the First World War, he remained in Chilliwack until his death, at 86, in 1960.
Photograph (top right): Chilliwack Museum and Archives. (ca.1914-1918). Portrait of Dr. McCaffrey. 1997.089.001 Robert McCaffrey fonds.
Photograph (left): Chilliwack Museum and Archives. (ca.1910-1915). Portrait of Dr. John Cotter Henderson. P19
Tools of the Trade
Medical tools used by doctors can be a distraction to our personal harmony and cause uneasiness. However, on exhibit they evoke curiosity and interest. We are fascinated by how these tools can improve our condition and help return us on the path of a healthy life.
What’s in the Doctor’s Bag?
Ear trumpet or stethoscope
Magnifying glass
Lancets
Eyedropper
Thermometer
Scalpels
Forceps, tweezers and scissors
Small sewing kit
Catgut
Syringes and needles
Speculum
Ear spoon
Probes
Cupping devise
Alcohol lamp
Small glass bottles or slides for samples
Small straps (tourniquets)
Opiates or morphine based
Photograph (right): Chilliwack Museum and Archives. (1920-1939). Syringes originally belonging to Dr. Joseph Derby Moore.
