Jewish General Hospital | Digitized Works

Historical Notes about the Montreal Clinical Society and the Beginnings of the Jewish General Hospital, by Dr. Harold N. Segall. Selected from the Montreal Clinical Society Fonds. Marks and notations present in the original documents may also appear. (New)

Dr. Harold Segall (1897-1990) was a leading Canadian cardiologist and a founder of the Jewish General Hospital and the Canadian Heart Association. He invented a standardized system of recording heart sounds and was awarded numerous teaching awards in his lifetime.

The Notes consist of three parts:
1. Address delivered at the annual meeting of the Montreal Clinical Society (MCS), May 20, 1976.

2. Background information about the book The Gold-Headed Cane, by Dr. William Macmichael in 1827.
Speaking in first person singular as the gold-headed cane, the author tells the daily activities of the cane's five successive carriers, all celebrated physicians, through what the cane saw and heard when it went about with them between late 1680s and around 1815. The book is treasured by medical historians and scholarly physicians because of its cultural importance. The first person singular tone of the gold-headed cane employed by the author also inspired Dr. Segall in his writing of the address to the first annual dinner meeting of the MCS in 1938.

3. Dr. Segall's address at the first annual dinner meeting of the MCS in 1938.
Dr. Segall, president of the organization at the time, delivered a historical address about the activities of the Society in its first fifteen years of operation, including its leading role in the founding of the Jewish General Hospital. The address is based on the Society's first minute book (1923-1938). Dr. Segall composed it in the style of the “Gold-Headed Cane” by William Macmichael, thus it speaks as the minute book in the first person singular. Since the book later went missing in the 1940s, this address has so far been known as the only document that summarizes the content of the original book, which therefore has gained significant historical value in the JGH Archives.

Album for the retirement of Dr. Henry Kravitz, Chief of Psychiatry Department of the JGH (1967-1987)
The album showcases the camaraderie of the Psychiatry staff, and those who joined the team at work and leisure, predominantly between late 70s and early 80s. Up to day, the majority of the album has been digitized. Please inform the Archives if you object to the use of your image(s). We will remove accordingly. For more information about the Psychiatry history, please visit the online exhibition of the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry.

Copyright Note: The JGH Archives owns photo prints only. The ownership and the authorship of the initial negative, plate or photo remain to be verified. However most of these photos may be still protected by copyright. The JGH Archives can provide certain level of assistance in locating the creator(s), however it is the user's own responsibility for the copyright clearance.

Dedication: Speech for Nurses' Graduation by Dr. George Strean (Founding Chief of Obs-Gyne Dept.), 1962