90th anniversary flashback: JGH’s first birthing room opens in 1980

As the JGH’s 90^th anniversary approaches, JGH News today looks back at: 

• The 1980 launch of the first birthing room
• Hospital care for a freed hostage in the FLQ crisis of 1970
• The pioneering research of Dr. Samuel O. Freedman
• The mural honouring staff during the COVID-19 pandemic 

Four new archival items appear every Tuesday in the 90 days leading up to the 90^th anniversary on October 8. Everything that’s been published so far can be found in the JGH News archive.

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In 1980, the JGH became the first McGill University teaching hospital to open a birthing room, in whose home-like setting mothers went into labour, delivered their babies and recovered.

The objective was not just to enable women to give birth with less medical intervention (unless required), but to record and assess the medical and psychological outcomes of this relatively new type of room, compared to standard case room procedures.

For an expectant mother to be admitted to the birthing room, several criteria had to be met, including prenatal supervision by a physician, no indication of increased risk of complications, and willingness by the mother to move to a high-risk unit, if necessary.

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James Cross, held hostage by FLQ, treated at JGH

On October 5, 1970, in a crisis that made international headlines, British Trade Commissioner James Cross was abducted at gunpoint from his diplomatic residence on Redpath Crescent and was held hostage during the October Crisis by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ).

Released on Dec. 3, Mr. Cross was treated at the JGH and was featured on the front page of Pulse, the hospital’s staff magazine.

The issue also contained a letter from Mr. Cross (signed “Jasper”), thanking staff for their “very courteous and efficient treatment” and for “bearing with infinite fortitude the dislocations to hospital routine which occurred in the wake of my arrival.”

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Dr. Samuel O. Freedman, pioneering researcher

Extensive growth in medical research was among the most notable features in the term of Dr. Samuel O. Freedman, who served as Director of the Lady Davis Institute at the JGH from 1991 to 2000. Under his stewardship, the LDI emerged as one of Quebec’s premier medical research facilities.

Dr. Samuel O. Freedman

Dr. Freedman, the LDI’s second director, is one of Canada’s most renowned clinical immunologists. He achieved fame in 1965 as the co-discoverer of an antigen that led to development of the first practical blood test for diagnosing and managing patients with colorectal cancer.

Dr. Freedman also served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University from 1977 to 1981, and as Academic Vice-Principal at McGill from 1981 to 1991.

With support from the JGH Foundation, he led the expansion of the LDI facilities to its current six floors, while recruiting new researchers and modernizing the laboratories.

Dr. Freedman received numerous honours during his career, including fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada, and appointments to the Order of Canada and the National Order of Quebec.

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Mural celebrates emotional ties between patients and staff during pandemic

In late August 2020, the finishing touches were placed on the painted mural that covers much of the eastern wall of Pavilion G, facing the hospital’s main entrance.

A towering mural in vibrant colours was inaugurated at the JGH in September 2020 to honour Montreal’s front-line healthcare workers and thank them for putting their well-being at risk to protect the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The enormous painting by Quebec artist Patrick Forchild, was an initiative of Montreal’s diplomatic and consular corps, with support from the JGH Foundation.

It depicts an appreciative patient and an empathetic healthcare worker, who are hugging while wearing protective clothing. Swirling around them are large versions of the multi-coloured leaves that appear on the JGH logo.

“It’s a symbolic way of reminding us how harrowing this crisis has been,” Mr. Forchild said, “because it has made gestures of affection and human warmth so difficult to express.”