| Established | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Address | 13 Queen's Park |
| Location | Toronto , Ontario , Canada |
| Dissolved | 1991 |
The Academy of Medicine of Toronto was a professional and social organisation for medical doctors founded in the 19th century. It was formed in March 1907 by the amalgamation of four Toronto medical societies.[1] The Academy published its own journal, Bulletin of the Academy of Medicine, as well as speeches, articles, essays and other work by Academy members writing on medical and non-medical subjects.
Organisation
The Academy of Medicine of Toronto served as a regional library service for academics and physicians in Ontario. It was maintained by its members, at no cost to the public or government. In 1972, the Academy housed some 60,000 monographs and 600 journals which it made available to any of its members, either locally or remotely, through an extensive inter-library loan network.[2] The Academy also accommodated educational visits from many school groups visited the Academy around the year.[3]
History
During the second half of the 19th century, Toronto had been home to "three independent and very antagonistic medical schools".[1] In 1904, a stable medical faculty was established and the University of Toronto opened the Medical Building.[1] The healthier institutional atmosphere allowed for the formation of the Academy, which acted as an continuing academic resource for practitioners and researchers. The Ontario Medical Library Association also became the nucleus of the new Academy, contributing 117 members out of the 186 charter fellows at its founding.[1] Joining on an equal footing were the Pathology, Medicine, and Surgery sections, each drawing membership from the Toronto Pathological Society, Toronto Medical Society, and Toronto Clinical Society, respectively.[1]
The institution was first housed at 9 Queen's Park, home of the Ontario Medical Library.[1] It expanded in the subsequent decades through a series of moves and building acquisitions that allowed for the development of its educational activities.
In 1977, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ordered the Academy of Medicine to compensate a union and its former striking employees for its union-busting activities, closing its telephone answering service for doctors rather than deal with the Communication Workers of Canada.[4]
In the 1980s, the Academy of Medicine ran into debt troubles. In 1981, The Globe and Mail reported that the Academy may have to sell its collection of rare books.[3] In 1984, it was further reported that the Academy was obliged to sell Osler Hall.[5]
Upon closure of the facility in 1991, collections from the Academy of Medicine were acquired by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.[6]
- ^ a b c d e f Linell, Eric A. (1957). "Fifty years of the Toronto Academy of Medicine".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Pengelly, G. A. (8 Feb 1972). "Medical Libraries". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b James, Lois M. (24 Dec 1981). "Academy of Medicine".
- ^ List, Wilfred (30 Dec 1977). "Labor board orders the Academy of Medicine to compensate its workers for union-busting". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Hollobon, Joan (22 Sep 1984). "Debts force Academy of Medicine to sell hall". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Academy of Medicine Collection | Page 4 | The Discovery and Early Development of Insulin". University of Toronto Libraries. University of Toronto Libraries. Retrieved 7 March 2019.