FROM TUBERCULOSIS SANATORIUM TO WORLD CLASS HOSPITAL

• 1882 Dr. Robert Koch, a German physician, discovered the mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism which causes tuberculosis.
• 1882 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, afflicted with tuberculosis since 1874, heard about Dr. Koch’s discovery and established the Trudeau Laboratory in order to identify and isolate the bacteria for himself.
• 1884 The Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium was founded by Dr. Trudeau on Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks of New York State. It was the first sanatorium in North America.
• 1895 Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen, a German physicist, discovered x-rays for which he received the first Nobel Prize for physics in 1901. The chest x-ray became a standard diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Permanent and travelling chest clinics were used to screen various population groups such as school children and industrial workers for suspected cases.
• 1896 National Sanatorium Association (NSA) was founded in Canada.
• 1897 Muskoka Cottage Hospital opened at Gravenhurst, Ontario. It was the first sanatorium in Canada.
• 1899 The next province after Ontario to start building sanatoriums was Nova Scotia. The Highland View Sanatorium in Nova Scotia operated from 1899-1903.
• 1900 The Canadian Association for the Prevention of Consumption and other Forms of Tuberculosis was founded. It became the Canadian Tuberculosis Association in 1922 and the Canadian Lung Association in 1977.
• 1900 The Hamilton City Improvement Society was formed.
• 1902 Second sanatorium in Ontario opened as the Muskoka Free Hospital for Consumptives, 1 mile from the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium.
• 1903 The Hamilton City Improvement Society collected $8000 towards establishing a sanatorium locally. Controversy over where the sanatorium should be located discouraged the idea and the money was donated to the National Sanatorium Association. A frame pavilion at the Muskoka Cottage Hospital was renamed the Hamilton Pavilion and some Hamiltonians were treated there. The society disbanded shortly thereafter.
• 1904 First Christmas Seals were introduced in Denmark.
• 1904 The National Tuberculosis Association was founded in the United States.
• 1904 The third sanatorium in Ontario, the Toronto Hospital for Tuberculosis at Weston, Ontario opened by the National Sanatorium Association. It was the first sanatorium in Canada to isolate juvenile from adult patients.
• 1905 Even though health care is a provincial concern, the federal government passed a resolution in the House of Commons to take active steps to combat tuberculosis. Plans were made to facilitate the establishment of sanatoriums in each province.
• 1905 Hamilton Health Association (HHA) was formed to combat tuberculosis in Hamilton.
• 1905 A farm on the escarpment overlooking what would one day be West Hamilton was donated to the HHA for use as a sanatorium by W.D. Long and G.H. Bisby, two Hamilton businessmen.
• 1906 May 28 The Mountain Sanatorium opened with a matron, a nurse, a housekeeper, two “men of all work” and four patients. Governor-General Earl Grey and his daughter, Sybil officiated. It was the fourth sanatorium founded in Canada.
• 1906 The following buildings were constructed in the original orchard to replace the two tents: Crerar Reception Hall. Torn down in 1930; Doctor=s shack, Dispensary and Laboratory, renamed Villa St. Julian. Torn down in 1939; Villa St. Cecilia. Torn down in 1939; Dunedin Pavilion. Torn down in 1947; The original farm house called the Staff house. Torn down in 1972.
• 1906 The Ladies Auxiliary Board was founded. It acted as the operating committee for the sanatorium while the Gentlemen’s Board, later renamed the Board of Directors of the Hamilton Health Association, acted as the executive committee. In 1945 the Ladies Board changed its name to the Women’s Auxiliary Board.
• 1907 Stevens Shack constructed. Torn down in 1926.
• 1907 Sanholm farm began with the purchase of chickens.
• 1907 Grafton Pavilion, also called the Grafton Infirmary, constructed. Torn down in 1969.
• 1907 Dr. Charles Mantoux, a French physician, developed on the work of Dr. Robert Koch and Austrian scientist, Clemens Peter Freiherr von Pirquet, to create the Mantoux test, in which tuberculin is injected under the skin as a diagnostic test for tuberculosis. This was the TB skin test, which became the primary diagnostic test for tuberculosis.
  1908 Hamilton Health Association opened the first chest clinic in Hamilton on Hess Street.
• 1908 Dr. J. Howard Holbrook took over as Physician-in-charge from Dr. Alexander Unsworth.
• 1908 Empire Shack, funded by Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, constructed. Torn down in
  1927.
• 1908 Christmas Seals introduced in Canada.
• 1909 Southam Home for Consumptives, a 24 bed hospital for advanced cases of tuberculosis constructed on the grounds of the Hamilton General Hospital.
• 1910 Preventorium, to house infant and child patients, constructed. Torn down in 1952.
• 1910 Commercial Travellers’ shack constructed. Torn down in 1939.
• 1912 Reporting on cases of tuberculosis became mandatory in Ontario.
• 1912 35-acre Sanholm dairy farm began operation. It operated until 1968.
• 1912 Administration Building, last known as the Child and Family Research Building, constructed. Torn down in 1999.
• 1916 Long and Bisby Cottage constructed. Torn down in 1926.
• 1916 Brow Infirmary, also called the New Infirmary, constructed. Gassed and tuberculosis stricken soldiers returning from the World War I were treated here.
• 1917 East and West Pavilions constructed. The East Pavilion was torn down in 2001.
• 1918 McLean Nurses’ Residence constructed. Torn down in 1995.
• 1919 Pneumothorax treatment (collapse lung therapy) became standard practice in Canada.
• 1920 Long and Bisby Home for Nurses constructed.
• 1921 The Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine was created by French bacteriologists, Albert Leon Calmette and Alphonse F.M. Guérin. Canada was a pioneer in the study and clinical trials of this vaccine. In 1947, the Canadian Tuberculosis Association officially endorsed its use to prevent and control tuberculosis. It is now a internationally accepted protection against tuberculosis.
• 1921 Bruce Memorial Building constructed.1922, Mar. 1 Macklem farmhouse destroyed by fire. It was the residence of the Medical Superintendent and his family on the sanatorium grounds.
• 1922 Residence 37 constructed as the new home for the Medical Superintendent and his family.
• 1923 Radio equipment installed, a gift from Mr. Charles S. Wilcox, a member of the Board of Directors.
• 1924 Service Building constructed as new laundry for the sanatorium. It operated until 1969. The building was then renovated for administrative offices.
• 1925 Staff House partially destroyed by fire. Rebuilt and finally torn down in 1972.
• 1926 Central Building constructed as new kitchen and later administration building for the sanatorium.
• 1926 Steven Shack and the Long and Bisby Cottage torn down.
• 1927 Empire Shack torn down.
• 1927 Marion Crerar Daughters of the Empire Building constructed, replacing the Empire Shack.
• 1927 The sale of Christmas Seals was introduced in the first national campaign. Christmas Seals became the official method for tuberculosis associations to raise money.
• 1928 Southam Pavilion constructed.
• 1930 McMaster University moves to Hamilton from Toronto (incorporated 1887 with bequest by Senator William McMaster)
• 1930 Crerar Reception Hall torn down.
• 1932 Evel Pavilion constructed.
• 1932 Patterson Building constructed.
• 1937 Moreland Building constructed.
• 1939 Wilcox Pavilion constructed.
• 1939 Villa St. Julian, Villa St. Cecilia and the Commercial Travellers’ Shack all torn down.
• 1944 Dr. Selman A. Waksman, an American microbiologist, discovered streptomycin, the first specific antibiotic lethal to mycobacterium tuberculosis. Two other antibiotics, Para-amino-salicylic acid (PAS) and isoniazid were also soon discovered. By 1953 drug therapy was the standard, phasing out inpatient treatment and the need for sanatoriums. Today most tuberculosis patients are treated as outpatients.
• 1946 Dr. Holbrook retired after 37 years as Medical Superintendent.
• 1946 Dr. Cecil H. Playfair, appointed Medical Superintendent. He died suddenly in August 1947.
• 1947 Dr. Hugo Turnbull Ewart appointed Medical Superintendent.
• 1947 Dunedin Pavilion torn down.
• 1949 Inauguration of a pension plan for all Mountain Sanatorium employees.
• 1950 Inauguration of a hospitalization plan for all Mountain Sanatorium employees.
• 1950 737 patients in residence, the largest number since the Mountain Sanatorium opened.
• 1951 Holbrook Pavilion constructed.
• 1951 Bed capacity at the sanatorium reached its maximum at 754 beds.
• 1952 Preventorium torn down.
• 1953 The Cross of Lorraine, the symbol of the National Tuberculosis Association and the fight against respiratory diseases, erected on the edge of the escarpment.
• 1953 Peak number of beds available in Canada for tuberculosis patients with 19,000 beds in 101 sanatoriums and special tuberculosis units in hospitals. By 1963 this number had been halved and sanatoriums were closing.
• 1954 Due to a lack of hospital beds in the far north, Dr. Ewart received a request from the Dept. of National Health and Welfare to treat Inuit tuberculosis patients.
• 1955 Inuit tuberculosis patients began to arrive for treatment at the Mountain Sanatorium. In 1960 half the tuberculosis patients in the sanatorium were Inuit. Between 1954-1963, 1274 Inuit had been at the sanatorium.
• 1957, March 14 Dr. Holbrook died age 82.
• 1957 Hamilton Health Association leased a 13 acre site for 99 years at a dollar per year on which the Aged Women’s Home was constructed. It was later renamed Idlewyld Manor.
• 1957 Hamilton Health Association granted a 2 acre site to the Hamilton Board of Education on which the Holbrook Elementary School was constructed.1958 The Charter of the Hamilton Health Association was amended to broaden its activities to all health related fields.
• 1959 Mortality rate for tuberculosis in Hamilton was 2.7 per 100,000 population. This was a dramatic decrease even from 1950 when it had been 6.1 per 100,000 population. The number of tuberculosis patients was almost half what it had been in 1950 falling to 387 from 737 patients. The average length of stay had fallen from 511 days in 1950 to 332 days. In 1905 the mortality rate had been 126 per 100,000 population.
• 1959 The Brow Infirmary was renovated and reopened as AThe Hospital for Convalescent and Chronic Care Patients@.
• 1960 The Wilcox Building was renovated and reopened as “Chedoke General and Children=s Hospital”.
• 1961 The Women’s Auxiliary Board was dissolved after 55 years of service and the Women’s Auxiliary was created.
• 1961 The Nash Lecture Hall opened.
• 1962, Feb. 28 Ellen Wanless Ewart, Director of Nurses, died suddenly. The Ellen Wanless Ewart Memorial Chapel was created in the Evel Pavilion in her honour.
• 1962 Hamilton and District School of Medical Technology opened.
• 1963 Last of the Inuit tuberculosis patients discharged.
• 1964 The first class of nursing students in the Hamilton and District School of Nursing started classes in the Holbrook Building. A year later, in 1965, the building was completed.
• 1968 Hamilton and District School of Radiology opened.
• 1968 Chedoke-McMaster Centre opened with two parts, the Hamilton and District Rehabilitation Hospital in the Holbrook Building and the Chedoke Child and Family Centre in the Evel and Bruce Buildings.
• 1968 Dairy herd sold.
• 1968 The first class of medical students arrived at the new McMaster University School of Medicine. Because the McMaster University Medical Centre was not completed until 1972, the students received their instruction at Chedoke.
• 1969, Jan. Sanholm farm sold after 63 years of operation.
• 1969 Grafton Pavilion torn down.
• 1969 War Memorial cairn was erected by the Royal Canadian Legion 163 (Mountain Branch) in Grafton Gardens on the site of the former Grafton Pavilion.
• 1969 Hamilton and District School of Medical Technology building constructed between the Southam and Evel Pavilions.
• 1970 Dr. Hugo Ewart retired after 23 years as Medical Superintendent.
• 1970 Dr. James Allison became Executive Director, Chedoke Hospitals.
• 1971 Cool School, “The Experimental Secondary School Program for the Rehabilitation of Drop-Outs Who Have Used Drugs” opened under the direction of Dr. James Anderson. In 1973 Chedoke Hospitals took over formal sponsorship of the program.
• 1971 The Hamilton Health Association renamed Chedoke Hospitals.
• 1972 The original farmhouse called the Staff House torn down.
• 1971 Mohawk Hospitals Services created to provide laundry and linen service to the district hospitals.
• 1972 McNally (West or Beamis) and B’nai Brith (East or Miller) cottages constructed. Torn down in 1997.
• 1972 The name “Mountain Sanatorium” was officially discontinued. Tuberculosis patients were now treated in the Respiratory Disease Unit of Chedoke Hospitals which was located in the Evel Building. It had 19 beds and existed until 1974.
• 1972 Hamilton and District School of Radiology transferred to the authority of Mohawk College.
• 1973 Hamilton District Schools of Nursing and Medical Technology transferred to the authority of Mohawk College.
• 1973 Brow Infirmary renamed Chedoke Continuing Care Centre.
• 1974 Chedoke General and Children’s Hospital renamed Chedoke General Hospital.
• 1975 The Women’s Auxiliary changed its name to the Volunteer Association of Chedoke Hospitals.
• 1976 Alcohol Treatment and Education Centre opened in Moreland Residence.
• 1976, March 24 The Ministry of Health announced plans to close all active treatment beds at Chedoke as of June 1. Chedoke must stop admitting active treatment patients by April 30. Chedoke to concentrate on rehabilitation and chronic care.
• 1976, April 5 Public rally held in support of Chedoke at Sir Allan McNab School with more than 750 people in attendance.
• 1976, Apr. 9 Delegation from the Hamilton District Health Council presented “Save Chedoke” petition of 80,000 signatures to the Minister of Health, Bette Stephenson.
• 1977, Mar 22 Ministry of Health plan revised to allow Chedoke to keep 150 acute-care beds. Chedoke told to plan for a future as a rehabilitation, chronic care and community health centre.
• 1979, Apr. 1 Chedoke Hospitals and McMaster University Medical Centre amalgamated to form Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals.
• 1980, June 3 Chedoke Hospitals renamed Chedoke Health Corporation (CHC).
• 1983 Children’s Exercise and Nutrition Centre opened under the aegis of Dr. Obed Bar-Or.
• 1990 Sir William Osler Health Institute constructed.
• 1992 Emergency Dept converted into Urgent Care Services. Urgent Care closed as of Jan. 31, 1999.
• 1992 Centre for Studies of Children at Risk opened. Later renamed the Offord Centre for Child Studies in honour of its founder, Dr. David Offord.
• 1994, Oct 25 Dr. Hugo Ewart died. Mrs. Margaret (Boggs) Ewart died on Sept. 15, 2006.
• 1995 Mclean Nurses’ Residence torn down.
• 1996, Nov. 28 Hamilton Civic Hospitals and Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals amalgamated to form the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation.
• 1999 St. Peter’s Hospitals assumed responsibility for Chedoke Continuing Care Centre.
• 1999 Hamilton Health Sciences’ human resources and finance offices, formerly the Hamilton and District School of Medical Technology, renamed the Ewart Building in honour of Dr. Hugo Ewart.
• 1999 Administrative Building, last known as the Child and Family Research Building, torn down.
• 2001 St. Peter’s Hospital received $2.2 million worth of land from Chedoke Hospital Corporation.
• 2001 East Pavilion demolished.
• 2002 Hamilton Health Sciences announced it will close all continuing care beds at Chedoke.
• 2003 Chedoke Hospital is no longer an acute care hospital. It provides rehabilitation and child and family services to the Hamilton community.