William Canniff

Last updated
William Canniff
Wm Canniff.jpg
Born(1830-06-20)June 20, 1830
Died(1910-10-18)October 18, 1910
Occupation(s)Surgeon, Public Health Physician
Known forFirst permanent Medical Officer of Health in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

William Canniff, (born in Thurlow, Upper Canada, 20 June 1830; died in Belleville, Ontario 18 October 1910) was a surgeon, public health pioneer, historian and advocate of Canadian nationalism. [1] [2]

Contents

Education

Dr. William Canniff trained in medicine in Canada, the US, Great Britain and Europe prior to settling in Belleville where he practiced surgery. In 1852 he enrolled at the Victoria College Medical School studying under Dr. William Thomas Aikins. [2] Following brief periods of study and practice in New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Paris, Canniff returned to Belleville, Ontario, joining the faculty of the Victoria School in 1859 as a lecturer in pathology. Canniff was rapidly promoted to Professor of Surgery, however, he resigned his position in 1863 following a conflict with his colleague, John Rolph. [2] Canniff returned to the Victoria School in 1868 and remained there until its closure in 1874. During his brief departure from Victoria College, Canniff authored the first Canadian textbook on pathology, A manual of the principles of surgery: based on pathology for students, Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1866. [1] Canniff became a founding member of the Canadian Medical Association in 1867 and the Ontario Medical Association in 1880.

Toronto's Medical Officer of Health

In 1883, Canniff became Toronto's first permanent Medical Officer of Health. [3] In his role as MOH, Canniff appreciated the role of water in disease transmission, and advocated hygienic waste-water disposal and a centralized drinking water supply for the city. [4] Throughout his tenure as chief medical officer for Toronto, Canniff met resistance from physicians who defied his department's requirement for infectious disease reporting, arguing that the extra effort needed to do this went uncompensated. [5] :36 At the same time, city council continued to pressure Canniff for his failure to collect comprehensive disease surveillance statistics, criticizing his lack of impact on the growing spread of infectious illnesses. Both factors fed Canniff's frustration, ultimately leading to his resignation from the department in 1890. [5] :36 After Canniff's departure, the position remained unfilled for two years until the hiring of Dr. Norman Allen. [5] :37

Other interests

Canniff was a member of the Canada First movement whose membership promoted Canadian nationalism. [2] Canniff was also a noted historian, authoring History Of The Settlement Of Upper Canada, Ontario: With Special Reference To The Bay Quinte, Toronto: Dudley & Burns, Toronto, 1869; Mason; History Of The Province Of Ontario (Upper Canada), Toronto: A.H. Hovey, 1872; and The Medical Profession in Upper Canada 1783-1850, Toronto: William Briggs, 1894.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Veterinary College</span>

The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is the oldest veterinary school in Canada. It is located on the campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. The OVC is one of five veterinary schools that offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DVM program in Canada. The program is highly competitive and only admits a select number of applicants each year. The OVC was ranked 1st in Canada and 5th in the world for veterinary medicine by the QS World University Rankings 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Podiatry</span> Medicine branch focusing on the human lower extremities

Podiatry, or podiatric medicine and surgery, is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot and ankle. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine</span> Medical school of the University of Toronto

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Toronto. Founded in 1843, the faculty is based in Downtown Toronto and is one of Canada's oldest institutions of medical studies, being known for the discovery of insulin, stem cells and the site of the first single and double lung transplants in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Boyd (pathologist)</span> Canadian pathologist

William Boyd, FRCPath, was a Scottish-Canadian physician, pathologist, academic, and author known for his medical textbooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences</span> Medical school in Canada

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University. It was established in 1829 after the Montreal Medical Institution was incorporated into McGill College as the college's first faculty; it was the first medical faculty to be established in Canada. The Faculty awarded McGill's first degree, and Canada's first medical degree to William Leslie Logie in 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Milton Ross</span> Canadian abolitionist (1832–1892)

Alexander Milton Ross was a Canadian botanist, naturalist, physician, abolitionist and anti-vaccination activist. He is best known as an agent for the secret Underground Railroad slave escape network, known in that organization and among slaves as "The Birdman" for his preferred cover story as an ornithologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Grant (Ontario politician)</span> Canadian politician

Sir James Alexander Grant was an Ontario physician and political figure. He represented Russell in the House of Commons of Canada as a Conservative Party of Canada member from 1867 to 1874; he also represented the City of Ottawa in the federal parliament from 1893 to 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Ross Tilley</span>

Albert Ross Tilley, was a Canadian plastic surgeon who pioneered the treatment of burned airmen during the Second World War.

William McGill was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He represented Ontario South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of medicine in Canada</span>

Hospitals in Canada were initially places which cared for the poor as those with higher socioeconomic status were cared for at home. In Quebec during the 18th century, a series of charitable institutions, many set up by Catholic religious orders, provided such care.

Walter William Meacham was an Ontario physician and political figure. He represented Lennox in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1886 to 1898 as a Conservative member.

William Harding le Riche was a South African–born Canadian epidemiologist. He was Professor of Epidemiology (emeritus) at the University of Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward William Archibald</span> Canadian surgeon

Edward William Archibald was a Canadian surgeon. Archibald was born in Montreal, Quebec, and received his initial education in Grenoble, France. Upon returning to Canada, he attended McGill University, receiving his Doctor of Medicine there in 1896. Archibald became interested in the specialist field of surgery, and began an apprenticeship at Royal Victoria Hospital. After a year in Europe studying under two well known physicians, the young surgeon was appointed to the staff of the Royal Victoria Hospital's Department of Surgical Pathology. However, Archibald became ill with tuberculosis, and moved to New York City for treatment. Upon his recovery, the surgeon returned to Royal Victoria Hospital. There, he developed what he had learned in Europe, and came to be dubbed Canada's first neurosurgeon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Bowlby</span> Canadian politician

George Herbert BowlbyMDCM was a Canadian physician and surgeon, municipal politician, and military officer. He was born in the town of Berlin, Ontario, where he later practiced medicine and served in a succession of elected municipal positions, culminating in a term as mayor in 1901. Bowlby was the first person born in Berlin to become its mayor. In 1915, following the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and travelled to England. There, he served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps and achieved the rank of Major. In November 1916, at the age of 51, he died in an accidental fall from a cliff near the military hospital in Sussex where he was assigned.

Doctor George Samuel Herod was an English-born physician and politician. He served as mayor of Guelph from 1869 to 1870.

William Clarke was an Irish-born physician and politician in Ontario, Canada. He represented Wellington North in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1857 and from 1861 to 1863 and was mayor of Guelph from 1864 to 1867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physicians in Canada</span> Canadian physician

Physicians and surgeons play an important role in the provision of health care in Canada. They are responsible for the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments. As Canadian medical schools solely offer the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees, these represent the degrees held by the vast majority of physicians and surgeons in Canada, though some have a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) from the United States or Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Bennison Atherton</span> Canadian physician

Alfred Bennison Atherton was a Canadian surgeon, gynaecologist, obstetrician and educator who made historical contributions to the pathology and surgery of hernia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieran Moore</span> Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health

Kieran Michael Moore is a Canadian physician and public servant who serves as the current chief medical officer of health of Ontario. Prior to his appointment, he served as the medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington from 2017 to 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 MacDougall, H. "William Caniff". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 MacDougall, H. (1994). "William Caniff". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 13. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  3. Anonymous. "Introduction". An infectious idea: 125 years of public health in Toronto. Toronto Public Health: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  4. Anonymous. "Clean water and sewage treatment". An infectious idea: 125 years of public health in Toronto. Toronto Public Health: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Bator, Paul Adolphus (1979). Saving lives on the wholesale plan: Public health reform in the city of Toronto, 1900-1930 (PhD Thesis). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto.