New Brunswick's physicians used to bring the tools of their trade to a patient's door - a simple black bag, some potions and herbs, and the knowledge they'd gained through years of training.
Above is a set of forceps, used by Dr. Everett Chalmers, and carried around in his black bag. Doctors with black bags were a common sight in the early 20th century. Tools of the trade and historical photos are on display in a new exhibit at the Fredericton Region Museum.
That journey - from the days of the rural doctor to today's more institution-focused medicine - forms the basis for a new exhibit at the Fredericton Region Museum.
The collection, which is entitled From Black Bag to High Science, will give patrons the opportunity to return to the days of house calls and learn about key points in the capital region's transition from a network of general practitioners to a more modern system that shifted care from the home to community health facilities.
Although much of the story is told through a series of informational placards, the true historical gems are the many antiquated instruments on display.
The families of several local physicians, including Dr. Everett Chalmers and Dr. John Likely, have donated their black medical bags, birthing forceps and other tools of the trade.
T.W. (Bill) Acheson, a renowned Canadian historian and former history professor, spent almost two years researching the exhibit along with his colleague, Sasha Mullaly, a University of New Brunswick history professor.
Acheson said that shift in local medicine helped establish the infrastructure needed to improve care for capital region residents.
"The argument being made here is that it was primarily the movement of the federal government into the health-care area, which occurred after the Second World War, that has resulted in most of the institutions that we know today - things like the rehabilitation centre, the polio hospital, the cancer clinics, the first mental health clinics in the city," he said.
"All were created in a 10-year, 12-year framework, and then that all comes to a conclusion in (1959), when hospitalization comes in and hospitals are opened to all New Brunswickers. After that, the hospitals become the centre where much of the therapy and much of the diagnostics are carried out."
He said this particular exhibit was chosen because of its broad appeal.
"We spent a long time debating over what was the most significant development in the late 20 century in Fredericton. The other contender for the title was higher education - the universities," he said.
"There were 21 faculty (members) at UNB at the end of the war. Obviously, it's a little larger (today). But in the end, medicine won out because the feeling was it impinges on a much greater portion of the population. It impinges on everyone."
Ruth Murgatroyd, executive director of the museum, said she thinks it's going to be a popular display with local history buffs.
"I think it gives you a deep appreciation for the advances in medical technology," she said.
"When you look at the old pieces of equipment, some people get the heebie-jeebies when they see them. You certainly develop an appreciation for having the hospital, for having the nurses and the specialists in the community."
She said many local residents will see familiar names and faces among the display's photos and artifacts.
"I like this exhibit because it's modern history, because it's still in people's memories," she said.
"It's a lot like your agricultural history or your war-bride history. People can relate to it. They recognize some of these things, they recognize some of the faces ... They like to see history that they can relate to on a personal level."
While the exhibit is on display, a complementary piece on the history of nursing in New Brunswick has also been added, thanks to a loan from the New Brunswick Museum.
The Fredericton Region Museum, which is a registered charity operated by the York Sunbury Historical Society, is also accepting donations in the hopes of funding an interactive children's component.
The site is open to the public every day between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. until the end of August.
Off-season hours will begin in September.
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