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Medical Care on the Sunshine Coast

7/29/2017

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The Dr. Frederick Inglis house, Stonehurst, in lower Gibsons. (c.1940s)
Have you ever wanted to know more about the evolution of medical care on the Sunshine Coast? How did we evolve from a small, rural community with one doctor, to where we are today? I'm in the nursing program at the University Of British Columbia (Kelowna), and was interested in how our local health services came to be.  During my time here at the museum, I decided to find out!
​​In 1913, Dr. Frederick Inglis arrived in Gibsons and opened the first medical clinic of the Sunshine Coast. He operated his clinic and a pharmacy out of his home, Stonehurst, in Gibson's Landing. For the next 33 years, Dr. Inglis travelled throughout the coast to provide medical services. He was the only medical practitioner servicing Port Mellon to Halfmoon Bay. During this time, the only doctor in Pender Harbour had lost his license for malpractice. However, he was the only person with any medical knowledge in the area, and continued to practice illegally until 1920. As the Sunshine Coast grew, so did the need for more access to medical care.
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The Columbia Coast Mission Society vessel M.V. Columbia in Kingcome Inlet c.1930. This was a medical and hospital ship that also went to Garden Bay to drop patients off at St. Mary's (now shíshálh, or Sechelt) Hospital.
​In the early 1900s, the Columbia Coast Mission provided medical services to remote Sunshine Coast communities by boat.  At this time, the primary industries on the coast were logging and fishing- it was these communities that pushed for a hospital. In Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits, the authors described the conditions at that time. "In those days, loggers injured in Jervis Inlet or even down the coast as far as Halfmoon Bay would be taken by small boat to Irvine's Landing where they would have to lie in the freight shed until the next steamer arrived, perhaps a day later, in order to get to hospital in Vancouver. Too many of them died before a ship arrived and so the logging and fishing communities resolved that a hospital must be built in Pender Harbour..." The need for a hospital was met through the collaboration of the Columbia Coast Mission and St. Mary’s Church Parish in Vancouver. On August 16th, 1930, St. Mary’s Hospital opened in Garden Bay. It was a simple building with 12 beds, one doctor, two nurses, and two other staff.
​While convenient for camp workers, this location proved difficult for many residents of the lower Sunshine Coast as there was no land access to Garden Bay. It wasn’t until 1936 that the government road was connected to Garden Bay and Irvine’s Landing. And even with access to transportation, the road to Garden Bay remained unpaved and difficult to navigate. This meant that the lower Sunshine Coast had to rely on one doctor (Dr. Inglis) for medical care. As the population continued to increase, it became apparent that more medical services were required.
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The Gibsons Post Office at the corner of School Rd and Gower Point Road, before moving to it's current location. This building was purchased by Dr. Hugh Inglis in 1962 and became the first Gibsons Medical Clinic.
By the 1960s, the lower Sunshine Coast communities had grown significantly. Dr. Fred Inglis’s son, Dr. Hugh Inglis, had taken over the clinic at Stonehurst. But the population was rapidly expanding beyond the small clinic. The need of a bigger clinic was met by Dr. Hugh Inglis, who purchased and renovated the old Gibsons post office. In December of 1962, the Gibsons Medical Clinic was opened directly across from Stonehurst. Another doctor, the semi-retired Dr. Mackenzie, also opened a clinic near Soames Point. This provided the residents of Gibson's Landing access to more medical services without having to make the long drive to Pender Harbour.
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The community was quickly outgrowing the small rural hospital of Garden Bay and the need for a more centrally located hospital was recognized. According to Dr. Swan in House Calls by Float Plane, "Halfmoon Bay was considered the center of the lower Sunshine Coast, [and] the population hub was in Roberts Creek.” So in 1964, St. Mary’s Hospital moved to Sechelt. The new hospital was built on land generously donated by the shíshálh Nation, consisted of 35 beds and had a 13 bed nurse’s residence. However, as Dr. Paetkau notes in his novel, “the new hospital was already proving inadequate for the Sunshine Coast’s growing population”.  By 1968, the number of patient days in the hospital had almost tripled (from 4,926 in '64 to 13,464). However, the move from Garden Bay to Sechelt did increase the availability of St. Mary’s Hospital services throughout the coast. Since then, it has continued to expand. The shíshálh, or Sechelt, Hospital was recently renovated and now has larger emergency, radiology, and maternity departments, single patient rooms, and 44 beds.


When the new hospital opened, the Garden Bay location was closed, which sparked an outcry among the remote communities of the area. In Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits, the authors noted that  “many of [the residents] had volunteered labour or materials for the construction of the old building..”, and the loss of medical services had a huge impact on the area. Consequently, they rallied to open a clinic. And in 1976, they achieved their goal. The clinic moved to more centrally located Madeira Park, ensuring that everyone had access to services. 

At this time, growth on the Sunshine Coast became much more rapid. This development allowed an influx of medical professionals to the coast, as there were multiple employment opportunities. The historical record of medical care on the Sunshine Coast in the next few decades seems to die off. We had a community hospital, clinics in Gibsons, Sechelt and Madeira Park (and multiple private clinics that opened in the Sechelt area, mostly in the late '70s-'90s). As the population increased and communities developed, medical care grew. The availability of medical care has come a long was since the isolated hospital of the 1930s. The evolution of medical care on the Sunshine Coast is largely due to the community's dedication in implementing change- and our hardworking healthcare professionals. Without the efforts of these early Sunshine Coast residents, we wouldn’t have the access to the healthcare that we do today. 

Are you interested in learning more about local history? Drop by the SCMA with your research requests; we would be happy to help!
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Film Evaluation and Preservation

7/8/2017

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Ever wondered how we maintain our film collection? Keep reading to find out!
Picture#1341: Both the negative and the photo have been preserved.
     This week, I’ve had the opportunity to continue working on an ongoing project here at the museum: film evaluation and preservation. This involves examining our photograph collections and assessing negatives for deterioration. An integral part of this process is Garry Morrison, our Image Technician at the museum. Garry has been with us here for 17 years, having previously worked as a professional photographer. 

     Why is this important? This process is required in order to monitor any deterioration. As they degrade differently, the preservation of film materials can be complicated. There are three common types of film:  nitrate, acetate, and polyester. Polyester (pictured above) is considered the only stable film-based material, while nitrate and acetate are not. When nitrate and acetate films deteriorate they can pose health and safety risks to people and surrounding collections. The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives contains all three of these film-based materials, and consequently has to perform routine evaluations of all collections to ensure that they are being adequately cared for.
 
     Nitrate film was used from the mid-1880s until the 1950s. If not kept at a low temperature, it will begin to deteriorate.  As nitrate degrades, it emits toxic fumes that are dangerous to both people and other collections. The gas that is emitted is also highly flammable, and high temperatures increase the risk of combustion. However, all archives at the SCMA are continuously monitored for changes in both temperature and humidity.  So while our collections still contain a small percentage of nitrate film, very few show any signs of deterioration. 

     With the popularization of cellulose acetate in the 1920s, the use of nitrate film began to decrease. Acetate, also known as “safety film”, was introduced as a substitute for nitrate. When acetate degrades it emits an acidic vapor. Though not toxic to people, it can damage surrounding collections. In order to track any deterioration that occurs, the museum performs a film-based inventory and evaluation. 
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How do we do this? First, we pull a photo from the archives and check to see if it has a negative. Then, we can identify film type/base (nitrate, acetate, polyester). This is where things can get complicated- and this is where Garry comes in! With a background in photography, he knows exactly what to look for how to assess levels of deterioration. 

     We begin by checking to see if the negative is a real, or just a copy of the original negative. Usually, a copy negative is an acetate copy of what was originally nitrate film. To do this, we check to see if there is any edge printing (words printed on the border), such as: “nitrate” or “safety” (acetate). A manufacturer/trade name (i.e.“kodak”) on the border signifies a polyester film base. Other techniques used for film type identification include “notch codes”: the shapes printed on the edge of the film. Nitrate film contains “V” shaped notches, while acetate film includes a “U” shaped notch printed on the edge. However, edge printing was not always used and notch codes are not always present (or intact). Therefore, we often rely on Garry’s trained eye to be able to differentiate between film bases.

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Nitrate or Acetate? Can you tell which is which?
Picture#2206: This negative is acetate! There are three "U" shaped notches along the bottom corner, and the words "safety film" printed along the edge.
     After we have identified the type of film, we can rate the level of deterioration. This is done though the use of a rating scale. The scales for nitrate and acetate are separate, because different processes occur as they begin to degrade.  The deterioration of nitrate begins with the photo yellowing and the emission of nitric acid, while as acetate degrades it begins to curl and warp. The negative pictured below is in good condition, and it was given a Level 1 rating (no deterioration). 



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​      What do we do with all of this information? The inventory and evaluation process requires that the museum keep records of all our findings. This allows us to track the condition of our film-based collections to ensure the ongoing preservation of our collection into the future.  

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