-
Home of Dr. Ogden
Medical Care in Toronto’s Early Charities
For most of the 19th century, Toronto’s charities provided a variety of welfare services including medical care. Hiring a doctor for home visits was expensive, which made it inaccessible to a large portion of the city’s population. Instead, providing affordable medical care was the job of the city’s hospitals. However, hospitals often did not have the capacity for all of Toronto’s sick. Other charities, which usually were not as well-equipped for medical aid, could serve as overflow.
Like other welfare institutions at the time, most of Toronto’s hospitals were almost exclusively privately funded and relied on donations to survive. In 1867, a lack of funding forced Toronto General Hospital to close for a year. During its closure, the House of Industry filled the role as a medical care centre for the hospital’s patients.
1 / 5 (use arrows at bottom right to navigate)
-
Home of Dr. Ogden
Dr. Uzziel Ogden
To reduce the cost of care, some doctors donated their time to help local charitable institutions. One such doctor was Uzziel Ogden. Born in 1828, Ogden worked closely with a number of charities in the city including the Hospital for Sick Children, the Protestant Orphan’s Home, and the Home for Incurables. In 1861, he began working with the House of Industry. During the 1867 closure of Toronto General, Dr. Ogden helped care for the patients that were moved to the House of Industry.
Due to high population densities within Toronto’s charities, illnesses could spread rapidly. This was the case for the Protestant Orphan’s Home, which experienced a measles outbreak in 1860. Over the next few years, Dr. Ogden created an infirmary at the Home and increased the building’s ventilation and drainage systems to prevent illness. He also organised vaccinations for the Home’s children.
2 / 5 (use arrows at bottom right to navigate)
-
Home of Dr. Ogden
Dr. Abner M. Rosebrugh
Another philanthropic doctor was Dr. Abner M. Rosebrugh. Born in 1835, Dr. Rosebrugh is considered the father of ophthalmology in Toronto. Like Dr. Ogden, Dr. Rosebrugh worked with many charitable institutions during his career. After it closed due to lack of funding, Dr. Rosebrugh reopened the Toronto Free Dispensary, which offered free medical care. He also created the Toronto Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1867.
Many individuals at the House of Industry and other city charities relied on the dispensary and Dr. Rosebrugh, especially those with eye-related issues. The House of Industry staunchly fought against establishing a permanent infirmary, considering healthcare outside of its mandate. Instead, it employed medical experts to examine applicants, some of whom came from afar for assistance.
For example, in July 1868, George Thomas, a 48 year-old father with low vision, came to Toronto from Delhi Township in the hopes of receiving treatment for his eyes. Dr. Rosebrugh agreed to assist him free of charge, and George Thomas spent a month at the House of Industry undergoing treatment.
3 / 5 (use arrows at bottom right to navigate)
-
Home of Dr. Ogden
Public Funding and Modern Medicare
In 1874, Ontario passed the Charities Aid Act. The act allowed the government a new framework to give hospitals, houses of industry, and orphan homes yearly grants based on use. Over the next two decades, public spending on these institutions increased from $12,610 in 1870 to over $77,000 in 1890. During this period, a number of hospitals including Toronto General expanded to provide more care.
In 1882, the government revised the Public Health Act and created an Ontario Board of Health. The revisions to the Act gave municipalities the ability to appoint a medical officer. Throughout the early 20th century, Toronto’s medical officers and local boards of health funded a variety of services including free medical and dental examinations for school aged children. But it was not until 1957, when the Government of Canada passed the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act, that Torontonians would see the true beginning of a universal healthcare system. This Act ensured that the Canadian government would provide partial coverage of certain tests and procedures. Today Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan covers most of the costs associated with healthcare.
4 / 5 (use arrows at bottom right to navigate)
-
Home of Dr. Ogden
Additional Resources
Bater, Paul. “Ogden, Uzziel”. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1994.
Canadian Museum of History. Making Medicare: The History of Healthcare in Canada 1914-2007, Online exhibit.
Connor, JTH. “Rosebrugh, Abner Mulholland.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1998.
5 / 5 (use arrows at bottom right to navigate)
