La communauté médicale montréalaise de 1850 à 1890 : variations sur le thème d'élite

Abstract

During the second half of the nineteenth century, Montreal was an important centre for the Quebec medical community. This significant period was characterized by the establishment of a multiplicity of hospitals, university medical schools, journals, and medical associations, as well as by rapid scientific developments. To determine the nature and characteristics of Montreal’s medical elite of the period, the authors concentrate on its professional and scientific dimensions pertaining to these doctors’ training, positions, titles, and recognition. Using the list of doctors from the prescription records of Montreal pharmacist H. R. Gray, which includes the names of a large majority of Montreal physicians of the time, the authors identify predominant physicians based on their visibility in the medical press. Montreal’s medical elite was not a homogeneous group, however. In addition to the obvious linguistic division, the authors reveal other lines of stratification, clearly shown by the growing role of surgeons, a role enhanced by new techniques and operating procedures, and the beginning of medical specialization.