A study of medical specialization : the history of the Department of Pathology at the Winnipeg General Hospital (1883-1957)

Abstract

This thesis is designed to study the origin and development of medical specialization using the history of a department of pathology in a university affiliated hospital. The assumption is that events that occurred at the Department of Pathology of the Winnipeg General Hospital can explain the history of specialization in pathology in Manitoba. Data for the study was obtained from the Nurses Alumni Association of the Winnipeg General Hospital and Health Sciences Archives, the Neil John Maclean Library of the University of Manitoba, and the Department of Pathology. The local literature was reviewed and complemented by selected readings. This thesis argues that once institutional and professional interests determined the origin of the specialty, the fundamental explanation for the development of pathology in Manitoba was the social transformation of the Winnipeg General Hospital, as the forces that supporled such a transformation also impacted on pathology.