It is strange living through something that you know is historically significant.

Good morning, my reading friend, good morning. Yours truly would like to move away a little bit from his favorite subjects to offer you a little something about medicine, one of the many subjects examined by one of the museums of the group which includes the mind-boggling Canada Aviation and Space Museum, at Ottawa, Ontario, namely the Canada Science and Technology Museum, also at Ottawa. The first paragraph of the article published in the 3 February 1960 issue of the daily La Tribune of

As we usher in a new decade, the medical industry is innovating at an incredible pace — producing technologies that will impact individuals and Canadian society as a whole.

First World War field nurses, faced with uncertain laundry facilities, frequent travel and an abundance of manufactured surgical dressings, are said to have popularized the use of disposable sanitary napkins. Kotex, the first company to widely advertise its sanitary products in ladies’ magazines and newspapers, in 1920, credited Nursing Sisters with the idea. Previous attempts to sell disposable pads by other companies had largely failed, probably because they were marketed mainly through

Through her school’s award-winning history project on the Spanish Flu pandemic, 11-year-old Tyya Strutt learned a somber truth. “Most people who die in times of terrible events or peril are never remembered, especially if they are children,” says Strutt. “But this is not right."

Lorne Tyrrell and Morris Robins, University of Alberta researchers, discovered potent hepatitis B antiviral agents. Their discovery led to one of Canada’s largest university/industry research collaborations in the 1990s, that in turn lead to the development of the world’s first oral hepatitis antiviral (called Lamivudine) in 1998. Today, Lamivudine is used in over 200 countries to treat chronic hepatitis B. It has slowed or prevented death for millions, and helped lessen fatal effects of liver

Ave / hello, my reading friend. I have a confession to make. Err, yes, I am a bit wacky, but this admission is not the one I had in mind. I must confess I have been interested in the history of science and, perhaps even more, to that of technology for many, many years. If it is true that I have a weakness for the history of aviation, I dare to hope I have somewhat catholic, in other word universal, fields of interest, and ... And yes, you’re right, I plan once again to move away from the only

In the middle of winter 1929, a serious diphtheria epidemic broke out in the small colony of Little Red River, Alberta (about 800 km north of Edmonton), threatening the health of the entire settlement. A Hudson's Bay Company official had already died from the disease, and several others were sick. Today, people are vaccinated against diphtheria as babies but in 1929 it was a considerable threat, causing sickness and possibly death. By the time of this incident a cure existed for diphtheria, but

Over the last few months, there has been an exciting surge of momentum as Canadian students and teachers engage in the art of digital storytelling through an ongoing, national commemoration of the Spanish flu. As the Project Coordinator with Defining Moments Canada — an organization that helps to tell the stories of Canada’s pivotal historical moments — it has been encouraging to see such an outpouring of interest in one of the most fascinating chapters of Canadian history, whose stories are so