House Calls: The True Story of a Pioneer Doctor

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray is an assistant professor of English at
the University of Western Ontario.

This biography about John Hutchison, the author’s
great-great-grandfather, recounts the life of a much-beloved doctor in
early 19th-century Peterborough, Ontario. Inserted throughout the text
is a series of panels that provide information about everything from
common medicinal herbs of the period to early medical history.

Told from the perspective of a young patient, House Calls depicts Dr.
Hutchison as he goes about his rounds, traveling from farm to farm in
his horse-drawn carriage and treating such common ailments as
tuberculosis, ague, infections, and broken bones. A crisis arises,
however, when the doctor, who is usually paid for his services with food
and labor, has to leave Peterborough in order to provide for his growing
family. But the community unites to ensure that their popular,
hard-working doctor can stay. Through her simple yet engaging text,
Manson portrays not only the realities of health care before the advent
of antibiotics and anesthetics, but also the joys and hardships of life
in Upper Canada.

Divided into five short chapters, the narrative is generously
punctuated with Mary Jane Gerber’s charming illustrations, that both
reflect the action and provide a window on an earlier historical period.
The book has been thoroughly researched and is well-designed, and it
includes a glossary, bibliography, and list of relevant Web sites for
further study. Highly recommended.