Assessing the personality and determining the factors that contribute to someone’s success postmortem is challenging, often relying on obituaries for information. However, a lasting impression and legacy of Dr. Jonathan C. Meakins endures. His energy and foresight enabled him to help modernize McGill. “He entered the world of medicine with the orthodox training expected of a physician who had academic ambitions at the time. He soon showed, however, that his outlook on medicine was far from orthodox” (Christie, 1960, p. 1).
Medicine in the early 20th century
In the late 1800s, North American medicine lagged behind Europe. Medical education in the US was dominated by private, profit–oriented schools with lax entry criteria. A scathing report by Abraham Flexner in 1910 led to school closures and criticism. Many Canadian medical schools, including McGill and the University of Toronto, were spared this criticism, instead receiving praise. Flexner drew his inspiration from Johns Hopkins Medical School, where Sir William Osler, a prominent figure at McGill, made significant contributions.
Service and Learning
From 1914 to 1919, Dr. Meakins served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, where he was assigned to a British physiology team to study the effects and treatment of gas poisoning, an area that was not well understood at the time. Throughout the war, he dedicated himself to this research while also providing care for individuals suffering from gas–poisoning and “soldier’s heart,” now known as post–traumatic stress disorder. Meakins greatly impressed the physiologists involved in war–related studies and seamlessly integrated into esteemed medical and scientific circles in Britain. As a result, he became a highly sought–after candidate for prestigious medical positions following the war.
Meakins ended up accepting an offer to become the Christison Chair of Therapeutics at Edinburgh University, where he served from 1919 to 1924. During this period, he established a laboratory with the purpose of gradually familiarizing Edinburgh clinicians with the principles and methodologies of scientific research and academic medicine. Additionally, he was among the pioneering group of individuals who conducted early trials of insulin. In his acceptance letter to Edinburgh, Dr. Meakins emphasized the significant influence of the University on the field of medicine in North America, particularly at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ, his alma mater. He highlighted the fact that certain physicians at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary had, for some time, been employing a teaching method that involved direct personal interaction between the student and the patient. This innovative educational approach was subsequently implemented at McGill, where it was first observed by Sir William Osler (Fye & Roland, 2010).
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Class of Medicine, 1924 |
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Ward 26, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 1913. Dr. J. C. Meakins’ ward where the first human injection of insulin in Europe was given |
The early days of McGill’s Department of Medicine
Prior to his death in 1919, Sir William Osler suggested promoting clinical investigation at McGill and included the appointment of a full–time Chair of Medicine for this purpose. Dr. Meakins, whom Osler recognized as an outstanding asset to McGill during his military service, was recommended. Meakins possessed the foresight to understand that the application of experimental research could be integrated into patient care and sought to transform this vision into reality.
In 1924, Meakins arrived in Montreal and assumed multiple significant roles at McGill: Canada’s first full–time Chair of Medicine, Physician–in–Chief of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and Director of the newly established University Clinic. His mission was to integrate research into his hospital department as an integral component of academic medicine. With his noted charisma, energy, vision, wisdom and determination, Meakins swiftly revitalized the Department of Medicine and restored Ď㽶ĘÓƵ’s high profile in medical research. Perhaps his greatest legacy to McGill and Canadian clinical science was his creation of the University Clinic where clinicians and basic scientists worked together (Warren, 2010).
Meakins and Christie
During the early 1930s, Dr. Ronald Christie joined the Department as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Meakins. The department experienced a significant boost thanks to the influential contributions of Meakins and Christie. Pioneers in the field of respiratory medicine, they conducted vital experiments to advance our understanding of respiratory physiology and the pathophysiology of common respiratory diseases.
Their legacy was carried forward by the recruitment of skilled and innovative faculty members who shared their commitment to academic medicine. The friendly competition that developed among the young investigators generated new ideas that helped advance and broaden the scope of their research. As the outcomes of their investigations became known, a new generation of researchers was drawn to the clinic, ensuring the continuity of research projects year after year. An extended family of researchers was developed, first at the clinic and later in other departments and medical disciplines (Entin, 1987). Reflecting on the growth of respiratory medicine at McGill, it becomes evident that while the individual scientific contributions were significant, the most profound impact of Meakins and Christie resided in the training and mentorship of a diverse group of talented physicians and scientists (Martin & Schwartzman, 2015). The renowned Meakins– Christie Laboratories were established in 1972 to study respiratory diseases and this research unit recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Through the corridors of history, back in 1924, the Department of Medicine was composed of a mere 100 members. What a journey it has been when compared to its 1,200 members in 2022.Â
Putting Character and Career Together
It is undeniable that a balanced and integrated interest in both the sciences and the humanities played a significant role in Meakins’ rise as one of the foremost leaders in medicine in North America.
One aspect of Meakins’ life that provides valuable insight into his social views on medicine and belief in public service is exemplified by his decade–long presidency of the Canadian Mental Health Association. At the time, it was considered less prestigious to focus on mental health, a field often regarded as unscientific. However, Meakins, a specialist in internal medicine and a renowned cardio–respiratory physiologist, dedicated his skills and experience to benefit this field, which speaks volumes about his character.
Meakins himself had begun his career as a pathologist in New York, where he observed firsthand nurses visiting patients in their homes, particularly in the challenging districts of the city. This experience exposed him to the social aspect of medicine. During the first World War, he discovered that emotional factors played a dominant role in a person’s physical well–being. Later, when he moved to Edinburgh, he invited a professor of Psychiatry to join his staff and participate in patient rounds. This collaboration, along with the work of social workers, convinced him that body and mind were indivisible in health and disease (Warren, 2010).
Meakins foresaw the increasing significance of mental health in medical education and practice. His roots in mainstream medicine, coupled with his willingness to venture beyond his own discipline, made him a pivotal figure in advancing these developments. His example inspired others to follow suit.
The ability to perceive medicine as a whole was evident in one of his most significant works, titled “The Practice of Medicine.” His underlying philosophy can be encapsulated by the following passage from his introductory note in the textbook: “Many symptom–complexes cannot be proved to have a factual physiologic, anatomic, biochemical, or psychologic basis. All of these may contribute to the common end, but they must be integrated to apply to the individual as a composite being. To accomplish this objective, the teacher of medicine must be in constant contact with humanity in the raw.”
In 1959, at the age of 77, Dr. Meakins was laid to rest, though his impact at McGill continues to be felt to this day.
A special thanks to Dr. Jonathan Larmonth Meakins who generously provided the archives used to draft this piece and for carrying on his grandfather’s legacy both through sharing this incredible story and for dedicating 36 years to the field of surgery at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ. It is difficult to put into words the profound impact the Meakins family has had on medicine at McGill, and for that, we are deeply grateful.
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Dr. Jonathan C. Meakins standing alongside his family, including grandson, Dr. Jonathan Larmonth Meakins |
References:
Christie, R.V. (1960). Dr. Jonathan C. Meakins. American Heart Journal, 59(1), 1–2.
Entin, M. (1987). The Dynasties of Research at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal. The Canadian Journal of Surgery, 30(6), 449–450.
Fye, W.B., & Roland, C.G. (2010). Jonathan Campbell Meakins. Clinical Cardiology, 33(4), E57–E59.
Martin, J.G., & Schwartzman, K. (2015). Respiratory medicine and research at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ: A historical perspective. Canadian Respiratory Journal, 22(1), e4–e7.
Warren, P. (2010). Dr. Jonathan Campbell Meakins. Laureate Nomination Letter.