Even a little light reading about what Sir Wilfred Grenfell found in his travels around the northern end of the province a century ago paints a picture of a bleak existence, particularly when it comes to the health of the people living there. But a talk given at a symposium at The Rooms during the weekend called 100 years of the international Grenfell association and the delivery of healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador looked at whether the situation was truly that bad.

MUN medical historian Jim Connor didnt try to paint a picture of a health-care paradise, but he raised some evidence that perhaps things were alright in our end of the world.

You have to understand things in the context of (their) time, Connor said.

Comparing the pre-Confederation health care to todays wouldnt paint an accurate picture. But comparing it to that of other larger areas during the same period does offer some surprising insight.

Grenfells hospital on the Northern Peninsula brought people from all over the island who had certain health needs, although the majority treated did come from the region. Typically, any patient who was admitted stayed for 30 days and, according to Connors, that is comparable to if you stayed elsewhere in the U.S. or U.K. during that period.

At Grenfells hospital, you sometimes also ended up helping to run the place as you recovered. But the conditions for which you could be admitted ran the full spectrum of ailments, much as you would find available in other hospitals.

This question of infectious disease, tuberculosis, malnutrition all get rolled into a very, very bad picture of poor health, Connor said.

Surprisingly, iridium treatments werent unheard of during Grenfells time here up through the pre-Confederation 1900s. The only place on the island where you could get the treatment for cancer was in St. Anthony, Connor said.

Infection played a large role in ending many peoples lives. The age of antibiotics was close, but not yet a reality. Tuberculosis was also an ordeal. Orthopedic surgeries were very common as many accidents happened on boats.

This (hospital) was a busy place, said Connor.

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Looking at early 1900s health care in a different light