Isabelle’s project examines the practices and effects of somatic therapies in psychiatry during the postwar period, focusing on Saint-Jean-de-Dieu Hospital in Montreal between 1945 and 1960. This era was marked by the development of insulin treatments, electroconvulsive therapy, psychosurgery, and neuroleptics, reflecting the therapeutic ambitions of the medical specialty at the time. While these practices…

Characterized as a “foggy, desolate, deathtrap” the 18th c. Fortress of Louisbourg was a significant, yet treacherous colony in New France especially for unseen pathogens. Gastrointestinal illnesses have been present throughout history. Despite Louisbourg’s successes in New France, overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited healthcare certainly contributed to diarrheal disease and widespread parasitic infections. The objectives…

While most Canadian nursing schools upheld exclusionary admissions policies well into the mid-twentieth century, the Lamont Public Hospital School of Nursing in Alberta graduated at least 16 Japanese Canadian nurses between 1925 and 1950. Helen’s project examines how Lamont became a rare site of (at least partial) inclusion during a period of widespread institutional exclusion.…

In the decades between 1920 and 1960, McGill University limited the admission of Jewish medical students through a quota system. This discriminatory measure has never been fully documented or contextualized. Thomas and his team’s project will fill this gap. They will identify the archival material that documents and discusses this policy, find printed sources, conduct…

Geoffrey’s project builds on Mad people’s history in Canada by collecting oral histories from key figures in the mad movement and supporting the development of an accessible Mad People’s History Archives. In collaboration with Efrat Gold and Anne McGuire, they are guided by the following questions: What are the implications of enriched discourses about Mad…

Public trust in Canadian medical leaders and institutions has significantly declined, impacting vaccine uptake and public health crisis responses. Mohamed’s project will investigate how foundational concepts of the “clinician social contract,” such as trust, professionalism, and accountability, have evolved in Canadian and American medical literature from 1900-2025. Using large language model (LLM)-based tools, Mohamed’s team…