With Glowing Hearts

The first non-military, government-operated air ambulance service in the world started in Saskatchewan in 1946. It delivered medical care to those in the province’s remote areas who were victims of accidents or suffered from acute illnesses.

Dr Frances McGill (1877–1959), known as the Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan, was the first person in the world to make forensic pathology a regular part of police investigations. She traveled throughout the province to investigate suspicious deaths and preserved evidence in ways that had not been done before.

Insulin, the successful treatment for diabetes, was created in 1921 in Toronto, Ont, by medical scientist Dr Frederick Banting, his assistant Charles Best, and their advisor Dr John Macleod.

Inuit whale fishers stitched together seal skin or seal gut to create a waterproof cover (called spring-pelts) for their torsos to protect themselves from Canada’s frigid waters. Over time, these coverings evolved into the life jackets we know today.

Following engineer John Hopps’ development of an electrical pacemaker circuit that supplied stimulation to the heart in 1951, Canada was a leader in this field of research. By 1965, Canada’s National Research Council developed the world’s first biological cardiac pacemaker.

In 1971 Canadian medical scientist Helmut Lucas created a prosthetic hand that included electronic and mechanical elements, making it possible for those requiring prosthetics to perform actions such as turning a doorknob or picking up a glass.

An important contribution to the vaccine industry was made in 1982, when the meningitis vaccine was developed by Dr Harold Jennings and his Ottawa-based team.