McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
James Bell Fonds
Fonds
2 cm of textual records
Born in Ontario, James Bell graduated from the Medical Faculty of McGill in 1877, and immediately joined the staff of the Montreal General Hospital as house surgeon. As surgeon to the 6th Battalion of Fusiliers, Bell saw active service during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, and was present at the battle of Batoche. He joined the Medical Faculty at McGill as Professor of surgery in 1893, and in 1895 became surgeon-in-chief of the Royal Victoria Hospital.
This material features a small amount of medical papers: a manuscript of Bell's address on the subject of nursing training to the Alumnae Association of the R.V.H. School for Nurses, 1910; a letter introducing Bell to Dr. Viktor Hueter of Marburg, Germany, from Francis Shepherd, 1891; and a laboratory report to Bell from R.F. Ruttan, on kidney stones, 1900. Bell's map of the Riel Rebellion, 1885, is also included. A series of five lectures and papers on intestinal ailments, syphilis, rodent ulcer of the face, cancer of the larynx and kidney disease is supplemented by 19 case reports, 1896-1907, 7 of patients whose primary symptom was abdominal pain, and 12 suffering from sore or swollen throat. The remainder of the papers consist almost entirely of obituary notices, newsclippings and resolutions in memory of Bell and about half a dozen lettes of sympathy, including one from Sir William Osler.
Originals and printed materials