Part 34

Dr. John Bradford McConnell, an able educator in the field of medical science and actively engaged in hospital and private practice, was born at Chatham, Quebec, August 28, 1851, a son of the late Andrew and Martha Jane (Bradford) McConnell, of Lachute, Quebec. In the acquirement of his education he became a student at Dr. Wanless Academy at Carillon, Quebec, and ultimately graduated from McGill University with the degrees of M. D., C. M. in 1873. Still not content with the opportunities that had already been his for preparation for the medical profession, he went abroad and did post-graduate work in Berlin under Professor Koch. From the outset his professional career has been marked by advancement and constantly expanding powers have enabled him to successfully control and check disease when others of less thorough training or of minor devotion to the profession would have failed. His high standing is indicated in the fact that Bishop’s College of Lennoxville selected him for the honor of receiving the D. C. L. degree in 1905. He has long been eminent in the field of medical education and was vice president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, while for many years he was a professor on the medical faculty of Bishop’s College. He has successively occupied the chairs of professor of botany, professor of materia medica, professor of pathology, professor of medicine and of clinical medicine, and was vice dean for a number of years and was acting dean in 1905, when the medical faculty was amalgamated with McGill University, so that his name is inseparably associated with Bishop’s College and the high rank it has attained. Dr. McConnell has also been a member of the staff of the Western Hospital since its establishment and is medical examiner for the Aetna and the Mutual Life Insurance Companies. He was for several years editor of the Canada Medical Record. He has written extensively on medical subjects and his opinions elicit attention, admiration and consideration whenever publicly expressed.

Aside from the strict path of the profession Dr. McConnell has been active and is now a senator of the Wesleyan Theological College of Montreal. He also has an interesting military chapter in his life record, having from 1875 until 1884 served as assistant surgeon of the First Prince of Wales Regiment. In 1875 he married Miss Theodora Lovell, daughter of the late Robert Miller, of Montreal. Dr. McConnell is yet in the prime of life. He has not reached the zenith of his powers, which are constantly unfolding and developing. He keeps in the vanguard of those to whom science is revealing its secrets as the result of careful investigation and wide research, and the broader knowledge which each year brings is familiar to him.

JOHN GEORGE ADAMI.

Dr. John George Adami, scientist, educationist and author whose eminent position in his profession was indicated in his election to the presidency of the Association of American Physicians in 1911, was born in Manchester, England, January 12, 1862, a son of the late John George Adami of Manchester and Ashton-upon-Mersey, Cheshire. The mother of Dr. Adami, who in her maidenhood was Sarah Ann Ellis Leech, was a daughter of Thomas Leech of Urmston, Lancashire, and a sister of the late Sir Bosdin Leech, one of the founders of the Manchester Ship Canal, while another brother was Professor Leech, a leading member of the staff of Owen’s College and the Manchester Medical School.

Dr. Adami began his more advanced schooling when he entered Owen’s College, Manchester, and in 1880 entered Christ’s College, Cambridge, becoming a scholar of the same and in 1882 gaining a first class in the first part of the Natural Science Tripos followed in 1884 by a first class in the second part of the same tripos. Following upon this he spent eight months in physiological research at Breslau, Germany, under the distinguished physiologist Heidenhain. In 1885, Dr. Adami was awarded the Darwin prize of his college, for original research. The Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him in 1887, and with the completion of the course of medicine at Manchester in this year, he was appointed house physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, following upon which he was called to Cambridge to become demonstrator of pathology under Professor Roy.

In 1890, he was appointed to the John Lucas Walker studentship of pathology in the University of Cambridge, and went to Paris for bacteriological research in the Institute Pasteur, under Professor Metchnikoff. He won his M. D. degree in 1891, and in the same year was elected a fellow of Jesus College.

The following year he was called to Montreal, as professor of pathology in McGill University, and his continued success in research work, in practice and in the educational field, led to various degrees and honors being conferred upon him. In 1898, McGill conferred upon him the degrees of M. A. and M. B. Ad Eund.

The University of New Brunswick honored him with the LL. D. degree in 1900, the University of Toronto conferring the same degree in 1911, while in 1912 he received the Sc. D. of Trinity College, Dublin. He had previously, in 1905, been elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He is also a fellow of the Royal Societies of Edinburgh and Canada. In February, 1914, the Fothergillian medal of the Medical Society of London was awarded to Dr. Adami for his “work on Pathology in its application to practical medicine and surgery.” The Fothergillian gold medal was first awarded in 1787 and now is given every third year.

It would be tautological in this connection to enter into any series of statements showing him to be a man of scholarly attainments, for this has been shadowed forth between the lines of this review in the work that he has performed as an investigator and in the honors which have been conferred upon him.

He is perhaps even better known in the field of authorship than in educational circles. The work by which he is most widely known is his “Principles of Pathology” in two volumes (the second in connection with Professor A. G. Nicholls of McGill).

Dr. Adami has written various papers on pathological subjects which have appeared in a number of the leading medical journals in England and America and have also been translated into French. His smaller text-book upon pathology written along with Dr. John McCrae, is being translated into Chinese.

That his activities have not been solely in the path of his profession are indicated by not a few addresses he has delivered on biographical and literary subjects. He stands prominently with those men of broad humanitarian principles and high scientific attainment who are doing everything in their power to prevent the spread of disease and educate the people to a knowledge of preventive methods and sanitary conditions.

He presided at one of the meetings of the International Tuberculosis Congress held in Washington in 1908, and was one of the promoters of the Royal Edward Tuberculosis Institute in 1909. He was a member of the Royal Commission, of the province of Quebec, re spread of tuberculosis in 1909, and in that same year became president of the Canada Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, being reelected for three years in succession. In 1911 he was honored with election to the presidency of the Association of American Physicians. He has been president of the local Medico-Chirurgical Society and is a joint secretary of the Victorian Order of Nurses. In 1899 he was president of the Montreal branch of the British Medical Association and was president of the pathological section of that organization at the meeting in Toronto in 1905. He was a vice president of the section of pathology at the International Congress of Medicine, London, 1913.

He has been offered many prominent positions in the educational field both in England and the United States, but has preferred to remain in Montreal, recognizing that he has a broad field of labor in this city.

His teaching ranks him as one of the foremost educators of the land, and in the class room he enthuses his pupils with much of the high idealism which has always characterized his professional connections.

Aside from all of these activities and interests, bearing upon the practice and science of medicine, Dr. Adami was chosen president of the City Improvement League in 1909, and was elected vice president of the University Club in the same year. He holds membership in the St. James Club, and in the Savile Club of London.

Dr. Adami was married in 1894, to Mary Stuart, a daughter of James A. Cantlie of Montreal, and a niece of Lord Mount Stephen. Their residence, No. 34 Macgregor Avenue, is one of Montreal’s attractive homes, while the family are well known in the best social circles of the city. The Herald has said of Dr. Adami: “Endowed with youth, energy and enthusiasm, his investigations have been important and of great benefit to mankind.” His name in connection with his professional ability and research work is known not only throughout the American continent but in many educational centers of Europe, as his authorship has made him known to the profession.

RODOLPHE MONTY, K. C.

Since admitted to the bar in 1897 Rodolphe Monty has continuously and successfully practiced in Montreal, advancing step by step to the position which he now occupies as one of the able representatives of the legal profession in this city. He is a member of the firm of Monty & Duranleau and their clientage is of an extensive and important character. Montreal claims Mr. Monty as a native son. He was born November 30, 1874, and in the acquirement of his education attended Ste. Marie de Monnoir College, McGill University and Laval University, his classical course winning for him the Bachelor of Arts degree, while his professional course gained for him the degree of LL. L. In January, 1897, he was called to the bar and at once entered upon the active practice of a profession for which he had fully prepared. No dreary novitiate awaited him. He came almost immediately into prominence and in 1909 was created a king’s counsel. He is now senior partner of the firm of Monty & Duranleau, one of the strongest at the Montreal bar, and the thoroughness and care with which he prepares his cases excites the admiration and surprise of his contemporaries, who find him prepared not only for attack but for defense as well. For eight years he has been a member of the council of the bar of Montreal and for five years has been examiner. He has served as delegate to the general council of the bar of the province of Quebec for three years and as treasurer of the bar of Montreal for two years.

While pursuing his study in the university Mr. Monty was president of the law students of Laval in 1895-6 and at the same time was one of the most active members of the model parliament established among the students. His eloquence and skill as a debater secured for him the leadership of the opposition in those early days. He also filled the offices of minister of railways and canals and speaker of the house. He is now governor general of the model parliament. He could undoubtedly win parliamentary honors today if he cared to do so, but, while possibly not without that laudable ambition which is so useful as an incentive in public life, he regards the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly worthy of his best efforts and concentrates his energies upon his professional duties. His devotion to his clients’ interests is proverbial and on many occasions he has proven himself capable of solving some of the most involved and intricate problems of the law. In politics he is a conservative, while socially he is connected with the St. Denis Club, the Club Canadien and the Délormier Club.

THE HON. SIR GEORGE A. DRUMMOND, K. C. M. G., C. V. O.

Sir George A. Drummond, whose strong intellectual force gave him mastery over the grave problems which confronted him as a member of parliament and enabled him to wisely direct his individual interests until success placed him among the most prosperous residents of Montreal, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1829. He enjoyed the educational opportunities offered by the high school of his native city and then entered the university in the Scottish capital. His laudable ambition and keen insight into conditions prompted him to seek the advantages offered in the new world when but twenty-five years of age, and therefore in 1854 he embraced the opportunity to come to Canada and assume the practical and technical management of a sugar refinery which was established in Montreal by John Redpath. In this connection the Gazette, at the time of his death, wrote: “The superior education he received in the institutions of his native Scotland was a powerful help to him when he was called upon to grapple with the problems which demanded solution in an undeveloped country like the Canada of that day. When he became interested in the Redpath sugar refinery in the year 1854 he was perhaps the best educated business man in the city, and whether as a member of the Board of Trade, a commanding figure in the realm of banking and commerce, or in social life, he maintained that scholarly supremacy and distinction which was willingly accorded him by his fellow citizens more than half a century ago.”

The Redpath sugar refinery proved a profitable enterprise from the beginning until tariff changes forced the plant to close down in 1874. Before resuming operations in that line in 1879, in which year he founded the Canada Sugar Refining Company, of which he became president, Sir George spent five years abroad in study, travel and recreation. In connection with the Canada Sugar Refining Company he developed one of the most important productive industries of the country and into other fields extended his efforts with equal discernment and success. He became a director in the Bank of Montreal in 1882 and in 1887 was elected vice president and subsequently president, so continuing until his death. He became president of the company owning and developing the coal and iron mines at Londonderry, Nova Scotia, and was prominently connected with many other commercial interests and projects. He was prominent as a stockholder and officer in the Mexican Light, Heat & Power Company and was a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the Ogilvie Milling Company and vice president of the Royal Trust Company. He was also largely interested in the Cumberland Coal & Railway Company, and his connection extended to various other corporations which have been important factors in the development and upbuilding of Canada’s manufacturing interests.

From the time that he became a resident of Canada Sir George Drummond also became a student of the conditions of the country as affected by political interests. Perhaps no better account of his prominent connection with political affairs can be given than by quoting from one of the local papers, which wrote: “Though coming from a country wedded to free trade ideas, he discovered that new industries could not thrive here in competition with the advanced and enterprising industrial activity on the other side of the line. Hence his early advocacy of protection, designated during the campaign of 1878 as the National Policy. Sir George Drummond had formed strong friendships with Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Charles Tupper and the more aggressive leaders of the conservative party as represented in the Canadian parliament. He was induced, much against his will, to accept the party candidature in Montreal West against one of the most popular men of the day, Hon. John Young. The contest will be remembered by some of the older citizens as one of extreme bitterness, although Mr. Drummond’s utterances on the platform were marked by ability, force and breadth of view, and those who heard him during that campaign of 1872 were not by any means surprised when he developed later into an authority on banking and finance and a leader in the discussion of matters pertaining to trade and commerce. That contest preceded by two years the fall of the Macdonald government and the acceptance of office by pronounced free traders. As delegation after delegation went to Ottawa, and were told by the finance minister that ministers were as flies on a wheel in the matter of bringing prosperity to the land, Sir George Drummond and his friends, recruited from both of the old political parties, started to organize the downfall of free trade in Canada. It was, however, when the victory had been won at the polls, when Sir Charles Tupper’s powerful efforts at the by-elections in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia had brought forth their fruit that the hardest work had to be done, and here the ability of Sir George came powerfully into play. Sir Leonard Tilly was finance minister, Sir Mackenzie Bowell was in charge of the customs and Sir John Macdonald was powerful in the country and in parliament. He had received a mandate to bring the National Policy into force; but this was easier to say than to do. The fiscal and customs policy of the country had to be changed. It was at this time that the counsel and business experience of Sir George Drummond were brought into requisition and with a great degree of success. Time convinced men of good-will and fair mind that the broad device of ‘Canada for the Canadians’ and ‘that which is beneficial to the manufacturer will be equally beneficial to the consumer and to the country at large,’ were right. Mr. Drummond was not a conservative during his active participation in party conflicts because of individual gain. He adhered to principle rather than to party name. In 1888, Sir John Macdonald being premier, Mr. Drummond was called to the senate, and up to the time of his death was the ablest representative of the mercantile classes in the upper house of the Canadian parliament. As chairman of the banking and commerce committee of the senate his word was as law. His opinions relating to matters of financial import were received without question by minister and member alike, and when Senator Drummond had spoken upon a question of this kind there was a general consensus of opinion that little remained to be said. It was by his mastery of his subject and by his prominence in all matters affecting the moneyed interests of the Dominion that he won the respect of his fellow legislators at the capital. There are many men who are members of the Montreal Board of Trade who look back to the days when Sir George Drummond was the president of that organization and remember the manner in which he filled that office, the highest in the gift of the merchants of the commercial metropolis of the Dominion. They remember the high character of his addresses and his wise contributions to the deliberations of the council. It was accepted as a matter of course that he should lead off either as the mover or the seconder in any great question that was to be presented to the government or to the other colonies or for the consideration of the whole empire. It was as director, vice president and president of the Bank of Montreal that the citizens of the financial center of the Dominion will remember Sir George Drummond long. His ability was freely acknowledged on both continents. He was at headquarters early and late, and his attention to the interests of the bank was as marked when the financial atmosphere was serene as when there were lowering clouds on the horizon. His attitude at the annual bank meetings was the personification of tact and courtesy, and his able addresses on such occasions, uttered as they were with a practiced finger resting upon the financial and commercial pulse of the continent, were read by Wall Street and London as eagerly as by the public men and bankers of his own country.”

Sir George Drummond was married twice. In 1857 he wedded Helen, daughter of John Redpath, and following her demise he was married in 1884 to Mrs. Grace Julia Hamilton, the widow of George Hamilton and a daughter of A. Davidson Parker, a Montreal pioneer. Two sons of the first marriage, Huntly R. and Arthur L., are living. The former succeeded his father as president of the Canada Sugar Refining Company, Ltd., and is ex-president of the Montreal Board of Trade; while the latter is actively identified with the Canada Sugar Refining Company, Ltd. One son, Guy, of the second marriage, is living and is a resident of Montreal.

The death of Sir George Drummond occurred February 2, 1910, removing from the stage of Canadian activity one of its most prominent and honored figures. He was a member of the St. James Club, the Rideau Club of Ottawa, the Reform Club of London, England, and the Manhattan Club of New York.

Sir George and Lady Drummond were in entire sympathy in their benevolent work. He was the founder of the Home for Incurables in Montreal, which was opened in 1894 under the charge of the Sisters of St. Margaret, and Lady Drummond bestowed much care and thought on the preparation of the interior of the institution. She has been connected with many societies and movements in Montreal that have to do with the betterment of the people, the city or its conditions. She is president of the Montreal Charity Organization and is actively connected with the Victorian Order of Nurses and with various other bodies. She was also a member of the Quebec Tercentennial celebration in 1908. She was the first president of the local branch of the National Council of Women. She was elected president of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal for 1907-8, and Lady Aberdeen places her “at the head of the Canadian sisterhood for activity in ‘promoting all that is true and just and beautiful among women, and for a consuming hatred for unrighteousness in every form.’” She presented a silver cup for competition by the members of the Royal Montreal Ladies’ Golf Club in 1905. Her name is not unknown in literary circles and among her writings is an essay entitled “Purity of Speech and Accent.” She was the first woman to speak at a public banquet in Montreal, being thus honored in 1898. In 1902 Sir George and Lady Drummond were presented at court.

On the occasion of the visit of our present King and Queen to Canada as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York Lady Drummond drew up and presented an address to Her Royal Highness on behalf of the National Council of Women of Canada, while Sir George Drummond at the same time presented to His Royal Highness the citizens’ commemorative medal. Lady Aberdeen has characterized Lady Drummond as “a woman of distinguished presence, with great personal charm, gifts of rare eloquence and the power of clothing her thoughts in most expressive language.” She is a member of the Anglican church, to which Sir George also belonged.