Doctor’s Bag and Contents, c. 1942-1960
P20060034001-6

Items used by Dr. Edmund Cairns as part of his pediatrician practice in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Cairns was born in 1910 near Nelson, British Columbia. In 1934, he completed his medical degree at the University of Alberta, working at the Edmonton General Hospital and, thereafter, the Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. In 1938, he returned to Alberta to work in Calgary. It was at a convention in that city that he met Dr. Arthur Haig, who invited him to Lethbridge to help establish the Haig Clinic.

Cairns was Lethbridge’s first pediatrician and, in addition to working at the Clinic, was the Chief Pediatrician at the St. Michael’s and Municipal Hospitals. Known for his personal house calls, he was described as an "old-fashioned doctor” whom people never see anymore. He enjoyed the personal relationships that he had with his patients, though he recalled the “holy-terrors”, such as a seven-year old who delivered a well-aimed kick as he was receiving a vaccination shot. Upon his retirement, in 1975, he said "there's no doubt about it, I'm going to miss the kids". He passed away at age 95 in 2006.

Donated by Morgan Munroe

Dr. Edmund Cairns administers vaccine to school children, c. 1955
19752911017

Collection of the Galt Museum & Archives.