Main photo: Martha Watson’s former physician, Dr. Ken Johnston, is front row, centre.
By Martha Briggs Watson
Because of this COVID-19 pandemic that we are experiencing right now, my mind is drawn to the enormous burdens we as a society are dealing with. My focus right now is on enormous gratitude for health care. My memory has wandered to doctors.
In 1940, at the most desperate period of World War ll, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, delivered some of his most powerful speeches: “We shall fight on the beaches…we shall never surrender” and “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”.
In August of that year, near Sprucedale, Ontario, Dr. Kitt, the doctor in that area, was called to come to deliver a baby at the Watson farm. The baby’s father was in Nobel, working in the munitions factory. The doctor arrived and made an offer to the baby’s mother. He said that because money was scarce, folks were paying him with chickens, carrots, potatoes, firewood and so on. Because he had enough of all those things, he offered to waive the fee if he would be allowed to name the baby. That baby was my husband, Winston Churchill Watson!
Five years later, in Huntsville, in May, Dr. Evans was called to Mrs. Hildur Clarke’s nursing home where I was born. There was no hospital in Huntsville at that time. No father was anywhere near, and mothers were knocked out with ether. Mrs. Clarke was the first to hold every baby who was born there, and she remembered every one, and declared us all as “her” baby! That’s how kind and caring she was. It seems the doctor would oversee the anaesthetic, the birth, and then call the father with the news. Mrs. Clarke attended to the mother and baby.
Some months later, I developed a high fever and congestion. My mother called Dr. Evans for advice. His answer was to call a family where there were fifteen children, and the mother of those children would give much better advice that he! How wise was he!
Doctor Edgar Evans (Photo courtesy of Martha Briggs Watson)
I have saved a letter written by my father to Paul Rice, editor of the Huntsville Forester, dated June 7, 1945. Here is an excerpt:
Dear Paul:
I have been thinking for a long time, and more particularly in the past number of hours, why due praise cannot be given a man while he is still able to read and hear it.
You well remember, Paul, when we used to watch Doc. Evans start out on some of his trips in sub-zero weather back in the early twenties. That big fur coat of his, the driver and the team of horses. Quite often it was late in the day when he started out. He would probably get back through the night or the next morning. There were no government snow ploughs back then, Paul, and no offers to call up and see how a certain road was. I don’t think Doc. would have called up anyway. He always appealed to me as a one-man army. He saw his duty and he’d get there come hell or high water. He didn’t bother to call up anyone either to see who was going to pay the bill. Doc. isn’t made that way.
In this district there are hundreds of men and women, the parents of hundreds of children he brought into the world, who have done in the past just what I have done. They have got down on their knees and thanked God for Doc. Evans. You folks who have thought of expressing in writing your thanks to Doc. can simply say ‘Amen’ to what I have written for you.
Remember the famous ball team, Paul? You were on it, and what it meant to Huntsville at that time to have a man like Doc. be captain of it.
Huntsville can be mighty grateful that Doc. Evans decided to camp here.
Sincerely,
Harold Briggs
P.S. Doc. Will probably take a pass at me for this, so I am relying on you to back me up.
Dr. Edgar Evans’s office was in the building where The Great Vine is now and he lived above it. My dad’s jewellery shop was where Muskoka Jewellery Design is and the Huntsville Forester office was right next door. They would have witnessed Doc. Evans’s comings and goings. They all kept track of each other on the Main Street then!
When Dr. Evans retired, I was fortunate to go to Dr. Ken Johnston. I have vivid memories of attending appointments with him, mostly just once a year for a check-up and/or an inoculation. He would be sitting at his desk with the widest, warmest smile. I always felt he cared. I was not the least bit intimidated even though he always wore a white lab coat.
Each year, before summer camp, a check-up was required for camp records. Dr. Johnston would look me up and down, ask me how I was feeling, fill out the form and sign it…no charge!
At fifteen years of age, I developed a kidney infection (acute glomerulo nephritis…at that age, I loved to throw that big word around), caused by residual bacteria from strep throat. Incidentally, it was Mrs. Helen Wolfe who noticed my swollen ankles in gym class one day, and sent me home to be taken to my doctor. Dr. Johnston determined that this is what I had, and, fortunately for me, penicillin had been invented! I was instructed to go home to bed and was given a strict dietary regimen. Dr. Johnston stopped by my home on his way home from work, almost daily to check on me. He knew the severity of this illness, compared to the camp checkup!
This happened just before Christmas, and a big school dance was on the horizon. I had a brand new red dress to wear, but felt such disappointment that because I was bed-ridden, I was not allowed to attend the dance. However, coincidentally, my boyfriend had sustained a broken ankle while skiing. Our parents conferred. My parents consulted Dr. Johnston, and it was determined that we could both go to the dance, as neither of us was fit for dancing anyway!
There were no worries about lawsuits back then, just common sense!
I moved to Toronto in 1963 to attend university, and had the good fortune to be able to move back to my beloved home town in 1987. By then, Dr. Johnston had retired. My husband and I put out a search for a doctor here, and, after much research and asking many of the “locals”, we were able to become, as a family, patients of Dr. John Rea. He is exemplary in his care, his compassion and his expertise in Family Medicine. Everyone in my family loves Dr. Rea. The very next day after my husband Winston died very suddenly five years ago, Dr. Rea phoned me to show me his compassion and assure me that I could see him anytime I needed to.
I am so very grateful for the doctors in my life. To quote a dear dear aunt of mine, “I am such a lucky duck!” I feel certain that many readers have similar stories about their own doctors.
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Such a wonderful story and dedication to the doctors of Huntsville, Martha! Thank you. As I left Huntsville when I was 16 I don’t really have any stories of the doctors, except for a very silly one. When I was 13ish I had saved my $15 to get my ears pierced. I went to Dr. Ascah to get this done, but he wouldn’t do it, urging me to think about it, citing an unnatural disfigurement to my body. As an adult, I appreciate his concern for a young teen, but at that point I thought about it for 5 minutes, and then went into Dr. Davies office in the same building who promptly did the deed. Still happily pierced after all these years.
OMG Martha, I so enjoy your stories.
Martha your story is wonderful. The part about Winstons birth made me become very emotional. There were so many birth complications back then and illnesses in early life often causing death. Young people today have no idea what our parents had to go through,also our grandparenf and so on. I remember telling Douglas about what it was like growing up and his response was I dony care what you did in the 1900’s. As it was he was Just born in 2000. We all laugh about it now. The only thing i wish for is that he remembers so his children can hear those stories to.I tell him stories anyways and he listens but maybe he doesnt hear but I hope he does hear and some day he’ll be thankful to have had the priviledge to hear first hand. Our world is changing so fast. I truly hope your kidney infection didnt do any permanent damage. I have a kidney history also but I wont go into that. Lots of love Wendy.xxxooo
Thank you Martha for your wonderful articles of growing up in Huntsville—especially remembering and honouring our doctors. We are so fortunate to have such fine men and women
caring for us in Our town.
Dr. Evans delivered me in 1935 and my brother Leonard during a terrible snowstorm in 1943.
Dr. Rea, Dr. Stewart and Dr. Johnstone went an extra mile for me last fall. Dr. Evans would be very proud of his successors!
Thanks, Martha, for another great story. I arrived here in 1967 and Dr Sargeant was our family Doctor. I remember him telling me when I took my two babies to his office with something that probably wasn’t too life threatening, that his mother told him, “People come to see you because they are worried and it is up to you to relieve their worries even if they seem minor.” I have never forgotten that. And yes I can name almost all the doctors in the picture too – some I went to and others just played with as in the Rotary Musicals such as Sargeant, Hunt and Ascah. We are indeed privileged to have such good medical staff in our unique town..
Hi Martha,
Thank you for another wonderful story about the Huntsville of our youth. As a teenager I worked summers and after school with Mad Ganton at the offices of Drs. Davies, Cloutier and Ascah at 77 Main Street where Spectacles is today. I fondly remember them rushing in from the hospital with their coattails flying and their black bags in hand, ready to meet a waiting room full of patients. They never seemed to be in any hurry once they got there, taking time to care for each and every one, most often well over the end of office hours. There were no appointments in those days!
Dr. Ascah was our family doctor from the time we arrived in Huntsville in 1957, where he regularly made house calls, to when he was with us to help us with our Mom through her final days. He and Trudy Birch visited daily and helped us to keep our Mom comfortable and at home. They will never know how much that meant to us as a family.
Since returning to Huntsville I have been lucky enough to have Dr. Rob Whaley as my family physician. He delivers the same kind, compassionate and professional care as they did. I feel blessed to have found him.
I look forward to reading more of your stories, Martha.
Thanks again,
Susan
Thank you once again Martha for another story that is sewing together the tapestry that makes Huntsville an all-round wonderful place to belong to. We continue to be thankful of our health care community who go above and beyond amidst this pandemic. And I loved reading how Win was named!
What a delight to read your story this morning Martha! Loved all the history of the doctors & the dedication of a calling so deeply focussed, your Dad’s wonderful letter, the historic moment of the naming of your dear Winston & the honoured memory of matriarchal mother, ‘Mrs. Clarke’! I had the pleasure of meeting her at The Village Shop in the early 1990’s. Our doctors are some of the most important people who are woven into the tapestry of our lives & we have been cared for by many in the 30 years of living in Huntsville. How blessed we are. Thank you for sharing such inspiring & loving memories.
Dear Martha
You have a wonderful way of helping us newbies (30 years) see the wonderful world of our lovely old town. We are so lucky to have all our great caring doctors of yesterday and today, they are all working the front lines to keep us safe. Let’s all be careful and keep them safe.
Amen!.. I would say that you are all pretty much “Lucky Ducks” to have those memories..
Martha, you have a beautiful way with words and your memory for capturing details from the past is amazing!! Growing up at 9 West Road in Huntsville was interesting for me, to say the least. Thank you for the lovely comments about my mother, Hildur (Lindgren) Clarke…She loved her babies as you mentioned. In fact I have her handwritten record of the 204 births that took place in our house from 1944-1957!
Thank you for the comments! My stories appear to be doing exactly what I want them to do…to trigger others’ memories! We all need to tell our stories
Please tell yours in a comment.
DR. Derek Mackesy and I attended HHS together for all classes and grades. We went separate ways after graduation and didn`t meet up again until he took over my Dr.`s practice. Came time for my annual physical app`t and we females know what is involved with that. So , I arrive, partially strip and all that is going thru my mind is “this is a guy I used to party with in GR 13!!!”I was exceedingly uncomfortable, the most embarrassing moment of my life!!!!! He on the other hand, was professional and it was just another day at the office!!!! We have run into each other many times but I don`t know if I ever told him about that first app`t!!!! PS this would have been early 1960`s
I loved reading this and especially the story of Winstons naming !
Thank you Martha for sharing such an interesting well written article and including the picture of those earlier doctors .
Being raised in the Huntsville area, I so appreciated hearing your words that told of how the “doctors of old” gave so much of their time, expertise and themselves to their patients. I too was first held by Sonja’s mother , Mrs Clarke. As a child I recall visits to our home in Utterson by Dr Cloutier and Dr Evans .I always was fascinated by those large black bags which they carried and I firmly believed that they carried new babies there; I greatly annoyed my mom when I asked the doctor to see in those large bags. I so wanted another baby in our family.
We are so fortunate to still have the excellent doctors which we find in our town. Many continue to go above and beyond the call of duty. Compassion, excellence and commitment to their patients are first in their minds ; Jim and I are fortunate to have had Sheena Branigan as our physician for many years. We appreciate her dearly.
In this strange covid world , we only hope that our doctors and all frontline caregivers remain safe and well. We need to do our part . They need to know how much we care.
Thank you for this Martha!
It is wonderful to hear stories about Doctor’s past and present.
Good Morning Martha – I always look forward to your stories and this has to be one of the best! It is so important to thank those in our life who take care of us, and you have obviously had some very fine doctors in your life. Stay healthy, and thank you for this very fine article.
Such a wonderful read. Enjoyed the photo of the early Doctors at HDMH which it was called back then and I recognized most of them , tells me I am getting old. Lol.
Martha, thanks for the great story. Very informative. I didn’t arrive in Huntsville until 1963. Fond memories of Dr Dan Jones and Dr Lynn Sargent