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In times of medical problems during the 1890s, Enderby residents called upon the services of a local resident, Robert Lambly:   "...And Bob was just the same, he had, I believe, partly trained as a doctor before they came west -- if you had an aching tooth Bob yanked it out for you, and he once amputated a man's arm, with no instruments but a meat saw and a razor -- and made a good job of it. That was, of course, before there was a doctor in the valley, and was just before my time." ¹

The first medical man to practice in the North Okanagan was Dr. Offerhaus, who registered in 1883 in Canada:  "About the time I arrived a real doctor had appeared on the scene -- Dr. Offerhaus, and a very fine man he was. He was a Hollander by birth; a graduate of the University of Amsterdam, with a cultured taste in music and pictures and such-like things that was rare at that time in the west..." ¹

Dr. Offerhaus resided in Landsdowne and served most of the North Okanagan, aided at times by Dr. Morris from Vernon. Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Webb Wright were able nurses who provided maternity care when needed.

Dr. Bentley resided in Enderby between 1903 and 1906, building a house and doctor's office on the corner of Cliff and George St. and serving the entire district.

In 1906 Dr, Keith and his family arrived to purchase Dr. Bentley's house and medical practice. Dr. Keith graduated in medicine from McGill University and practiced in various mining communities in the Kootenays before moving to Enderby. He improved the home and grounds:

"Their home here was a rambling, old-fashioned house sitting in the grounds that ran a full city block, with stabling for horses, cutters, carriages, an ice house, chicken runs, large fruit, vegetable and flower garden, all of which he looked after in his free time. The surgery and waiting room were part of the house..." ² The surgery had the only fireplace in the house, and was often a welcome sight for visiting patients.

From 1905 to 1922 Dr. Keith had a contract with the large sawmill in Enderby to provide medical care for its employees:  "Quite a large number of Hindus worked in the A.R.Rogers Sawmill, and each Saturday night these magnificent bearded and turbaned men filled the waiting room to receive a "chit" which they took at once to the local druggist who solemnly doled out their small bottles of medicine. Father's contract with the mill was $1.00 per man per month for complete medical care and these East Indians insisted on something for their form of "Chinese insurance" even though in perfect health, so the two men concocted a dose of slightly sweetened coloured water."  ²

Dr. Keith's practice extended from Sicamous and Mara to Enderby and Mabel Lake. Often it would take him days to reach his patients with his horse and buggy; just as often he would perform surgery on the kitchen table in the light of a kerosene lamp.

In December 1908 a meeting was held by the concerned citizens of Enderby to discuss the development of a hospital for the town and district. As H.M. Walker reported in his newspaper: "So many things have died a 'bornin' at Enderby that we almost fear to speak of any new project. But this time we have a winner. It is a winner because the women are aback of it. We refer to the Enderby Hospital. A movement is now on foot, and well in hand, which promises to give to Enderby a hospital." ³

From this meeting, a strong group of ladies encouraged the development of a private hospital and built the foundation of the Women's Hospital Auxiliary.

Miss Warwick, a graduate nurse, opened the first cottage hospital on Belvidere Street the following year. The hospital was privately run, with some support from the ladies' auxiliary in the form of food and linen. In 1912 Miss Warwick charged $20.00 per week for maternity fees and $2.00 per day for patients recovering from "ordinary" illness. She sold hospital "tickets" for $1.00 per month. In a financial statement she stated that her income from patients' fees was $1102 and her expenses totalled $1045.

Miss Florence Davis, a graduate of the maternity hospital in Vancouver, continued with Miss Warwick's service in the present Marywood Manor on Belvidere St. She was followed by Mrs. McPherson, a practical nurse.

The City of Enderby and the surrounding district grew quickly between the years 1905 and 1915, supported by a booming forest industry, large sawmill, brickyard, and flour mill. Residents and business people fully expected the trend to continue for the next decade. They also realized that the small cottage hospital would soon be totally inadequate to service the needs of the community.

In 1915 Sam Polson donated property on the corner of George and Stanley Streets for a city hospital. Two residences were combined to form a nine-bed hospital. The Society of the Enderby General Hospital was formed on December 27, 1916 to take over management of the new hospital. Many alterations were made to the original buildings to allow for a nursery, kitchen, bathrooms, pantry, and ultimately a surgical annex. The building was heated by two wood stoves, one in the basement and a wood cook-stove on the main floor.

Miss M. Bowes was the first matron of the hospital, responsible to the Board of Directors. In the Program from the Official Opening of the Enderby & District Hospital, May 21, 1952, she remembers the first year in the hospital:

"Dr. Keith performed the first major operation in the operating room. As there were no furnishings or equipment he brought the table from his office. Sterilizing was an all night job on the kitchen stove then. However the patient made a splendid recovery...The nursery was our pride and joy; Dr. Keith made wee cots himself and painted them white. The ladies of the Auxiliary made the mattresses, and how those women worked. In less than a month the linen cupboard was stocked and pantry shelves filled with crockery." 

Dr. Keith was responsible for the x-rays and lab work. The matron was in charge of housekeeping, laundry, diet, purchasing supplies, admitting and discharging patients, and maintaining medical records. She did her own hiring and firing, with the Board of Directors' approval.

The matron had the help of one other nurse. Together they made their own plaster bandages and per pads by hand and sterilized equipment in the kitchen. They were responsible for stoking the fires, doing the laundry, and preparing the meals in addition to their many nursing duties. During the depression they picked the fruit from the fruit trees in the backyard and made their own jams.

Many patients were unable to pay for the medical services, but they willingly gave to the hospital what they could. In this manner the hospital acquired cords of stacked firewood, bushels of garden and farm produce, and help with the cooking and cleaning.

In 1918 Enderby was relatively unaffected by the Spanish flu which raced across the country:  "In Vernon some eight cases are reported. Two deaths have occurred...Twelve cases are reported at Armstrong...Enderby thus far has escaped..."  ³

Many people moved to the North Okanagan to escape the plague; One month later two cases were reported:   "There have been no new flu cases in Enderby this week. The original two flu patients at the hospital are now out of danger...Dr. Keith, as medical officer, took no chances in dealing with the two flu patients...He took them immediately to the hospital where the proper attention and care could be given, thus preventing the spread of the disease. Enderby's school in the only large one in the Valley which has not had to close on account of the plague..."  ³

Dr. Keith died in 1933. He was followed by Dr. Munro (1933-35), Dr, Killman (1935-37), and Dr. Haugen (1937-39). Dr. Haugen had a contract with the CPR to treat all of the CPR employees and their families.

In 1937 a two-story annex was added to the south wing of the hospital, making it a 16-bed facility. The contractor was Charles Hawkins, a mayor of the city for many years.

Mrs. Eleanor Dill (Faulkner) became the new matron of the hospital, maintaining that position until 1967. She remembers:  "Much of the hospital work in those days was much less complicated than it is now. We made do with what we had. And if we didn't have what was needed, we improvised..." The first time there was a premature baby born in the hospital "...there wasn't an incubator, so Dr. Haugen and I made one. It was made from a Curex box, turned upside down, and with a light fixed through the top. We used it for many years." ³

Dr. Kope arrived to take the place of Dr. Coltart (1939-41) in 1941. He opened a medical office in his home on George St. and later built a two-room office where McLeods Agencies presently is, also on George St. He was known to place under "Quarantine" homes which were contaminated with chicken pox or measles.

After the Second World War the population in the city and district began to swell; the agriculture and forest industries once again began to thrive. The old hospital soon became inadequate, with extremely difficult working conditions and aging equipment.

A decision was made by a committee consisting of A.H. Woodley, Howard Logan, chairman of the hospital board, and Dr. Kope to build a new hospital. The province and the community each contributed one-third of the total cost while the federal government offered $1000 per bed. The remaining funds were borrowed from the provincial government, to bring the total in building costs to $130,000.

The new hospital was officially opened on May 22, 1952 by Premier Byron Johnson and was named the Enderby and District Memorial Hospital in memory of those who had given their lives in the two World Wars. It boasted of 20 beds: two public wards, two private wards, and two semi-private wards. Each ward was furnished by a local club: the Canadian Legion, Lions Club, Oddfellows, Rebekahs, IODE, and the Hospital Auxiliary. There was also a maternity room and a nursery on the main floor, as well as an admissions room.

Downstairs was housed the laundry room, kitchen, nurses' dining room. There was a dumbwaiter to transfer eight trays of food upstairs to the patients. The building was heated by a coal furnace.

Soon after the hospital was completed, the Enderby Lions Club began to construct a Health Center on Stanley Street for the headquarters of the public health nurse serving this district. The Lions Club raised one-third of the building costs from their annual Sports Day events and community donations; the provincial and federal government provided the balance. Lions Club members volunteered their time and labour to build it. The Health Unit was officially opened by Mayor N.S. Johnson on December 19, 1952, with building costs totalling $7800.

The large reception room in the four-room stucco building was used for checking in and weighing babies on Well Baby Clinic days. It was also available to Cancer Unit, CARS., Red Cross, and the Hospital Auxiliary for meetings and classes. One office was reserved for the public health nurse, while the other two were used by the Medical Health Officer, Sanitary Inspector, and Public Health dentist.

Miss Mae Conn was the first public health nurse to have an office in the building. She was replaced by Mary Woollam in 1955. Mrs. Woollam completed her nurse's training at Vancouver General Hospital until she took her public health training at UBC:   "Our training was very complete. There was no social services at that time, so we covered everything from money matters in relation to health care and, of course our one day instruction in home deliveries...We objected; we didn't feel one day was qualification enough."

Mrs. Woollam married and returned to her home town, Enderby, but:   "In 1955 there was again a great shortage of nurses, and I was asked to take on the job of public health nurse...There was a great influx of population and the demands on health people were very heavy.  I was only supposed to give a token service, really, answering calls, looking into communicable diseases, preventing their spread."

Mrs. Woollam's territory was one of the largest in the province, encompassing Enderby, Mabel Lake, Mara, Canoe, and Salmon Arm east and west. Later it was changed to Enderby, Mabel Lake, Mara, Sicamous, and Three Valley Gap.

Polio was raging through the country in 1955, so Mrs. Woollam went right into Salk polio inoculations. By 1956 she had completed a series of three doses of the Salk injections to all children, then she treated the adults.

The Salk inoculations heralded a change in nursing, only doctors were able to give them. Now she was not only treating polio, but giving protection for diphtheria, whooping cough, lock jaw, and small pox as well.

"Our funding came through the school district, so we got a heavy dose of school nurse...The medical health officer, Dr. Black, was on a pilot project to see if children were entering school in good physical condition, or were there health problems which should be corrected before entering school."

The public health nurse became responsible for examining all grade one students, inspecting them for communicable diseases, impetigo, head lice, scabies, and ringworm.

"After I came back, nurses were doing the examining of newborns, and we picked up the notices of birth and death from the RCMP. We tried to visit the mothers in the hospital, find out where they lived, and give one home visit. And we invited them to attend baby clinics..." Well-baby clinics were set up throughout the district..."in schools, in homes, in stores, anywhere there were a number of people who needed service."

Mrs. Woollam covered an average of 20,000 miles every year, wearing out a vehicle about every second or third year:  "I drove my own car, because the government ones didn't stand up well to the gravel roads...I was travelling regularly more miles on gravel roads than any other nurse in B.C....I found people from outlying districts just didn't get into Enderby during the winter months. Babies had to have their immunizations once a month, starting at three months old, and if they missed too much time between, they had to start over. It seemed you were forever starting over, never completing. So the clinics helped."

"At one time I knew the weight of what I packed in the back of that car. You had a suitcase, all your literature in case they were asked for--mother and child pamphlets and disease pamphlets-- the bathroom scale, the baby scale... then you had your box of freezies to keep your medications cold, you had the pills and medications for TB patients. Usually the clinics were held in one school in an area, so you had your vision chart..."

The public health nurse was responsible for insuring that the public was aware of the travelling TB clinic, the travelling Cancer unit, and the travelling Children's Hospital. She had to attend yearly seminars for updating on new programs and new treatments. And she was responsible for keeping epidemics in check:  "We were trying to stop epidemics. It was necessary to get in there quickly, to give in a lot of instances a temporary protection to the people so they would have some immunity, so it wouldn't go from a complete family to a complete community." ³

In 1955 Mary Woollam was paid $221.00 per month. By the time she retired in 1967 she was being paid $245.00.

Mrs. Woollam was replaced by Trude Brouwer, who graduated from the UBC Public Health program as well. She was pleased with the tremendous help given her by volunteers in the area, particularly the Rebekahs who helped with Monday baby clinics and the I.O.D.E. who prepared cancer dressings. She described her job well:

"I think something that most people don't think about is that the job of a public health nurse has her involved with people from before they are born until they die. And all aspects in between. We're here to perform a service, and to offer information in all types of health care." ³

The Enderby Hospital underwent a $347,000 expansion in 1968 when space again became a problem. Renovations included new offices, a doctor's room, a nurses' station, change rooms, improvements of the operating room and nursery, and more storage space. A new 6-bed pediatric ward and 3-bed young adult ward were added. Downstairs a new laboratory and physiotherapy room were built, and the kitchen was upgraded. Air conditioning and emergency power equipment were installed. Also in 1968 Hepatitis raged through the community, causing the swimming pool in Barnes Park to be closed for the summer.

During this time joint administration was established between Vernon Jubilee Hospital and the Enderby Hospital, with Mr. Maynard appointed the joint administrator. The very ill were often transferred to the larger hospital where more advanced care was available. Dietary and housekeeping expertise was shared as well as laundry.

The provincial government confirmed its commitment to care for the elderly by building an intermediate care facility next to the hospital in 1973. Designed for the more independent elderly, Parkview Place held rooms for 30 patients, was connected to the hospital with a ramp, and shared kitchen facilities and administration.

In 1981 the hospital was expanded to satisfy a growing need for acute and extended care patients. Twelve extended care beds were added in a wing to the west of the hospital. Physiotherapy space was expanded and a dietary department was added downstairs. The nurses' station and newborn nursery were relocated. Parkview Place was also improved at this time, with a new recreation center, a nurses' calls system, better fire protection, and energy-saving measures.

Once health care for the elderly was improved, the government pursed its new emphasis on preventative medicine. In 1985 it opened a new guilding for the health unit on Cliff St. The new premises doubled the available space, with a large waiting area, an office for both the public health nurse and the North Okanagan Union Board of Health, and a large medical room. Downstairs was an office for the ambulance an a meeting room for seminars and classes, with a garage for Enderby's ambulance just outside the door.

The ambulance service was initiated by the Enderby Lions Club in 1956. Through a city by-law, the $1.00 subscription fee per family was formalized in 1958, although no one was denied the service. The training of the Lions Club volunteers was largely limited to their own expertise and common sense. The Lions Club purchased their own ambulance, a 1952 Chevrolet van, and covered the cost of maintaining and equipping it, while the City donated the licensing costs and offered it garage space in the basement of the city hall. In 1975, in order to improve the training of volunteers and to provide uniform service throughout the province, the provincial government took over the ambulance service. In 1979 a full-time ambulance coordinator and driver was hired. He presently oversees a strong corps of volunteers. The government also replaced the older vehicle with a newer model GMC.

Throughout this time, from their formal organization in 1919 to the present, the Woman's Hospital Auxiliary has been extremely supportive of the hospital in Enderby. For may years they have operated a gift cabinet and sponsored teas in order to purchase a large variety of items for the hospital: an incubator and analyzer, humidifier, bird respirator, ultra-sound machine, day care stretcher, whirlpool bath, special incubator, food warmer, film dryer, oxygen tank, deep freeze, x-ray spot machine and many furnishing and hand made linens.

In 1978 they purchased a "silver recovery machine" by which silver from the x-ray film solutions is collected and sold, enabling them to add to their funds. In 1977 they installed a "Sterivision System"; they collected the money from the television rentals. And in 1989 they placed a vending machine in the waiting room; the proceeds from the sale of juice and soft drinks will also go to the Auxiliary. The members make weekly visits to the patients and make tray favors for special days each month.

A history of health care in Enderby and the district is a history of dedication and commitment by local residents working with the municipal, provincial, and federal governments. But most important, as our public health nurse Mary Woollam said:

"There were a lot of good times, and we were accustomed to work in those days. But the service to the people was uppermost in our minds...we worked for the people, to do the best we could to give the most good to the greatest number." ³

Footnotes:

1. C.W. Holliday, Valley of Youth.
2. Jean Keith Kidstone, Okanagan Historical Society Report #30, 1966.
3. Okanagan Commoner; Enderby Commoner

Joan Cowan
Enderby Museum 1990