Article ID: CBB603855070

Publishing and Paternalism in the Grenfell Mission: Wilfred Grenfell’s Accounts of a Boy Patient and Doctor-Patient Relations in Northern Newfoundland and Labrador, 1900–14 (2021)

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In 1906 Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, founder and head of the Grenfell medical mission of northern Newfoundland and southeastern Labrador, published a short article in Putnam’s Monthly about a nine-year-old boy named Clem Richards, who had shot himself in the knee while hunting seabirds. The boy’s identity was disclosed in full, with Grenfell including his name and image as well as a detailed description of his living conditions. The “story” of the boy’s injury and recovery became a favourite of Grenfell’s, and it was modified and republished in a number of magazines and books between 1906 and 1923. This article explores the appeal that Richards’ accident held for Grenfell and argues that his dramatic mid-winter rescue of the boy helped Grenfell promote his mission and construct a public image of himself that would appeal to American readers and donors. By comparing published accounts with Richards’ medical case record, however, we also see how much Grenfell distorted the incident to heighten its drama and reader appeal. The article also considers how the mission’s dominance over northern Newfoundland and southeastern Labrador enabled Grenfell to use Richards’ name and image for mission publicity with no consideration of patient consent.

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Article Jennifer J. Connor (2021) Introduction—Case by Case: Private and Public Representations of Patients in the Grenfell Mission in Newfoundland and Labrador in the Early 20th Century. Canadian Bulletin of Medical History/Bulletin Canadienne d'Histoire de la Medecine (pp. 340-371). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB603855070/

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Authors & Contributors
Connor, Jennifer J.
Kidd, Monica
Mant, Madeleine
Side, Katherine
Skloot, Rebecca
Shields, Linda
Concepts
Patients
Public health
Medicine and ethics
Medicine
Disease and diseases
Informed consent
Time Periods
20th century, early
20th century
19th century
21st century
20th century, late
Places
United States
Newfoundland (Canada)
Labrador (Canada)
Germany
Canada
Weimar Republic (1919-1933)
Institutions
National Institute of Health (U.S.)
Merck & Co.
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