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The Island Doctor... Memories, myths and musings of a country doctor
Who knew an oven door could serve as an incubator?
What do you do with a fracture, a pickup truck, and a portable X-ray machine?
Digitalis or kerosene-and-lard poultice?
Diaper on the mailbox or the picket fence?
As a young medical school graduate, Dr. J. Cameron MacDonald chose to take over a rural practice in the Bay of Fundy. For five years, he was the only medical doctor on the Digby Islands - 40 miles and a ferry ride from the nearest hospital. He looked after 1,200 people, delivered 57 babies at home, with chloroform anaesthesia, told time by the tides, got paid in lobster, and love the life!
What do you do with a fracture, a pickup truck, and a portable X-ray machine?
Digitalis or kerosene-and-lard poultice?
Diaper on the mailbox or the picket fence?
As a young medical school graduate, Dr. J. Cameron MacDonald chose to take over a rural practice in the Bay of Fundy. For five years, he was the only medical doctor on the Digby Islands - 40 miles and a ferry ride from the nearest hospital. He looked after 1,200 people, delivered 57 babies at home, with chloroform anaesthesia, told time by the tides, got paid in lobster, and love the life!
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 22, 2026
why was almost every chapter just about this guy giving booze to people when he really really shouldn't
February 22, 2025
A delightful memoir of the adventures of a young medical graduate, who moved to a rural practice in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. Cameron and his wife experience living on an island 40 miles from the nearest hospital and learn to adapt to deal with any number of medical emergencies.
At the heart of their story is the sense of community and belonging, which they experience first hand when his wife has a miscarriage and the community rally round to help.
The story also reminds us of the importance of having a doctor who knows you as an individual and can help navigate the sometimes frightening world of being sent to a hospital, stripped of all dignity, put in a hospital gown and exposed to a group of strangers who then proceed to treat you as an interesting case, rather than as a human being with feelings.
At the heart of their story is the sense of community and belonging, which they experience first hand when his wife has a miscarriage and the community rally round to help.
The story also reminds us of the importance of having a doctor who knows you as an individual and can help navigate the sometimes frightening world of being sent to a hospital, stripped of all dignity, put in a hospital gown and exposed to a group of strangers who then proceed to treat you as an interesting case, rather than as a human being with feelings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2013
Great stories by a great storyteller. A good read for anyone in the medical field.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews