The Lucknow Sentinel, 1945-11-01, Page 8r
K
f
London Ld.i:t�INTWr1te.S
Late Dr J. H. Garnier�
A few, years ago
on. of townwrote an
J s
teresting and infor ative, ;artxcxe
• on;'.'Dr. John H. Garnier, noted
LUcknow physician ;of ' days' long
'past, 1Vlonday's. Free Press car-
riecl..an article about the' Doctor,
written by••Arthur•R."Ford,-•edi-
-in-� 'i:ef' of the; p
.for ch paper.
of t article:- is based .on , Dr..
: Johnston's "story,..' but `'is ofsuf
_fiCie
nt •'interest 'to`"warrant repro,
ion•` a ain; r
d ct g
tl
•
•
1Vir.. `•or'd's, article is as '%ollows.
My library' of Western' -Ontario
- nadiana has' been enriched by
Ca
a volume which Dr W. J', Stev.=
--Vin•.._,
The Luckno. SentinelliAielinOW1 Ontario
da which was at -the tin
'rItUR.s . I�QVEIV Ii, list,, f11I%;
-ver•Y :abrupt, Vin./. s: 'Ys. He says
that it is no exaggeration to say
'that': his mannerisrn;s"'W. ere -,iso ex-
traordinary. that many '.did not
understand hiin, The 'children
were terrified 'of the doctor whom
they would see in the early horn-
g,.
in ,g , oing about tow: with' a ,gun
on.: his ". mouldering
..and ' 'warning
them to: keep' at•.:a: safe,. distance
As •a.matter of fact ;he' was really
t
sexy, kindly at heart. Ile always
'• °is un.;and he was a most•
c'arri,ed lb. .g. .
and • �anv Males. .are.
aectxratn "shot a, xn. ,
;told `of his ' prowess. Dr'.; Steven-
'son who often went: hunting with
him, tells the was the best shot
he ever knew,
.There . is a story told` 'of' him
that a farmer in Kinloss Tdwri-•
'ship' in a .fit of . temper, 'or ' a
drunken frenzy, had • attacked is
wife r%th an `axe and••then:':bur-
ried into : Lucknow on horseback
e f Dr- Gar-
Jtoo-Q �Yn-t�11L'-Ser3�`...ies-o..
ht
lie..
-dacitor-:-w-as-Sao-enr-a ed :thaVwhc..
made for.• Y isgun,- While the ter- ''He s'- ent ;money lavishly li
' enson has4given me. • It is a play
entitled: `"Prince of Pedrok' writ-,
ten by, Dr. John': H. Garnier of
". a: r very remarkable
Lucknow; , . ry, _ _... . _
Pioneer doctor, naturalist ' and
hed ,in :1817
was ublis
'�r It •
•
writer.p
and was dedicated „in-, ' the old
fashion... -to Lord ,•Dufferin;, at the,
time governor-general
historical drama wiith he — aCtren
placed in:Portugal' at 'the' tnxie sof
the Moorish .wars 4t is ,'written
in Shakespearean,' style, the.
.lightly:' class, speaking' 'in blank
s;
horse and went tearing down the
street Before the doctor' could
get -.started the farmer was out
of shooting distance: -
Here is another 'characteristic
.story. He was calling .on a: patient
one..day in„the early winter and..
before leaving expressed: a wish"
ai e4 M.4_ �n +NR ki
--4-„,,,aMfii'..4.41,,, �. •.m•+^"niii•A10' "nY.••M#..Y''•A. •• "I''''''','”:: • fir.{�V WOrki!i'lig"N_••' 4Vr**Oinrl kitrt-4:-
was. one ofthe earliest importe�5°�'`?' the sale fe11 thi�t
elm; Howe'Verr. ,
of bulbs.0
Natrxrali s an?e- nm' He stored: the Vol:lectiom in a bar -iv --
West
ar �.-�-
as.. far awaY as ashr'rigtpn to in
West London, Some timet later
see his flowers: and :plaiits,.I i his he. came 40 London; to4001q over
garden ..he had sunken pools • of ' his collection and found m ich of
• water .m which he kept re
ptiles it had been stolen,' The 'balance
for obser.avtion .and ; study, _ .1 he sold' to the tRoyal! Ontario Mu- ''"•
..•., .- . With. naturalists -all corresponded with raa , bum, :2% "tabulation hows--tlrrit---
rc a" tti ke I'rn. S01iy over the world -and- alw $
to purchase .r � Y�" ..« .....
"doctpr'',, said,;the •patient, but' .1 purchasing; specimens,' from far.
haven't any to Spare". parts. ,of the .globe. f On ole oc-•
"•have ote°' .insist= n .the story ' goes, he sent , to
But 'I must * Casio ,
ed : the' doctor; • the South Sea :Islands .for a :rep-
--
rep-
-,: 1 can't let ` Yell':_ • When it arrived he .was
so
hl'o, .: doctor, tile,..W`:. t
have. •,eire-•�ust now''.: fined :that it' was not what
,that he •promptlY "'re-
"said nothingbut le.',order,'ed .. ,
.,The, old ,man • _ ..._ .: - . .. ;
h,
r three sharp. rned it He'; reported ''that t
a: � few minutes,. Tate , � , ��.•� ... • , �.
.:. .� . " : .on `cost. him $40Q. Such, • a collection, while•. ,car ryirlg
re orts•_f€om'ahe barnyard,. arou� . transacti. .:; . .•' ,, ,.
•' • s u l • himself oor. building .up, ha", on his practise Makes, pne ; -kiti vel;'
the house ;;The •doctor',as usua kept.., .•. . 4P; . , >. ,. -,',Western ..: ,
e.d ,;
as :':recognized ' a :hada • saitm:e `
';c n �„�: ith him.. 'and -lie • rniseurzi:. He, w
had h_,. '.t„ti,�M, w :,. .� -
to fist •arid o�'ci` t . ioneer' doctors. 11`r.' hdwin'e
,; • • •. riri •the .an .expert .ornitho .._g. ,.. grea.., p...
saw an easy.way of , secu g p
' :verse and 'the' humbler actors i`
den then to was�rriado u _cif �C.pti =� __
-even
birds, 160,.m. ountect birds, 1:,��
mammals, 125. skulls of mammal;;
170. salamanders, • 385',frogs and
:toads, , 400 harmless snakes,, ` 111 :
,poisonous snakes and •300.turtic;s,
lizards; unhorned• toads;;. alliga=
tors: The'•�industry of •the. Man '+n
ctiri am : and `catalb uing
'code g: c , g Cataloguing, . .
turkeys. ' The patient, , knowing of
his eccentricities,, made no Om-.
Plaint, . and allowed ,him to. carry
off the turkeys without protest.
H's . patients in fact , had a deep
affection..for him. <'
The' "doctor's 'chief; titleto _fame'
' s N••no ' on his as 'n
rets t
the years on. his •hunting trips
nearl every..
made a cohecton ofY
known Western Ontario: bird.
the :-Royal
In 4890 Mie gave_ .
Ontario . Museum a.. large coped
tion ofhis' birds'artd reptiles. Hips
_. rds- of '•this. were-destroyed,Py_.
reco ,
a niversity. fire,: ' though' the
- re ":. ecim ens.• and. labels .:esoaped.
' medici a s�ort',�and ••litera.tu , •. sp
al. st._H 'ad a • Later; AC ording to. D ..Stevenson,
a-naiux _
u this .va t, co_...eC,ion.,oi
, •bro
'beauti:fizl• = one-half � aere:•�-;plot-�Tof , 'h� g
• ' Western Fait with,
• . _ubs.-.an- d.� _ a . e.�:vxnes,. rriost of'.it� to'a
flo�taers, shr gr p- _.. • • •Cit
in r.o:- the idea • of selling it to' the y•
=The••plot hinges' on 'the forging
of- :awill by -`the wickeZfi=Itbbotµ.
Contra by which he gets' posses-
,an
osses,an estate • and ousts-tir
lawful heirs. There. ; is plenty;' of
action, Daggers ;and.• lances
freely .used. and. ---the finales _the •
•burning -of the malefaciprs at the
stake.:Dr. Stevenson tells me that.
• the',play: was '.acted for.; a week
by an amateur company in Toi
onto in :the eighties
:Dr, 'Stevenson -Who knew ; D
";.
Garnier,from his''' boyhood da
and `was, with 'him': at his death
in 1898: tells. me -that he was...,a
-emar k'ab1 e - L edi'at
ed, a •;great ;naturalist and orni
thologist, a skilled ;stn•geon a
:linguist capable of • reacding •' and
speaking several 'languages ani
*rite' = ° of*rime. •He wasex
ceedingly eccentrie-,and;innumer--
able, ;are . "'lie_tories� wtiicla�; are
tad"` -about : hirri:...Ie �Yrtts. ,become
tradition, almost. st: `legen. d
a r � ,
:Lu'eknow o'and Bruce County.
Why. a, man. of , his ability and:
his ednca ion- shouldThave.located
in -Luck -now in -18.6b.t at a time'
open-
', cou tr 'was'. 7 :' us •
•'.when:the n .x•.
ing• up` has never been= explained
He . was always reticent about
talking of the past{ .The rumor
was that lie shot a"man, in, a
in Ireland'; and to escape., arrest
came to Canada:' ,;According to ala
tiele fiittcn bas Dr• -V John-
i0.144i cknow, .iii.:,.ttie Canadian
Medical 1GUrnal• his father was -.a
French-Hugenot; who moved ' to
Scotland, where Dr. ,Garnier was
'born in . 1$23. His. father -'was.
wealthy and. cultured-:- and sent
• him to Dublin .for his Medical
education, where he became ac-
qu nted with the famous Daniel"
O'Connell, ,the Irish ;Patriot. Lat=:
er he studied in Paris and -'thee
spent several years of ` travel vis
iting.: such• countries as Australia,
India and', South .Africa,
-De pite' his eccentricities -and
his . brusque manner' • he : carried
extensive; medical practise.,
He' had :an international reput-
tion"'as an 'expert operator Yn cats:
aract. He; would remove :a cata'>
act with. ,a patient sitting ink a
chair in• .his; office. The story, is
...told of ' hi remove' of a cataract.
the •e' es of Y a' :.- ouri .: lady,
from Y .. g.
She fell in love with the mail'
rwho gave her 'her sight and for
years acted as. his ;.hoUsekeeper:;
Later they Married:,
Dr. Johnston''writee,.that he 'was
impetuous, hot t nipered, and
•
?c:
4�w
Is
:xt
•
Seaborn in, his ,interesting bo.9k
on: pioneer Medicine • in this dis=:
trict deals with these -men, „but
he:' has ' overlooked . Dr, ' Gamier,
'Who was an Outstanding •:figure in.
•
Bruce County. •.
•
'Sergeant: Ere; number: five,
take.'one•step::forvvardiand fasten
:the :se oud-butto_ n-o&f •.your+'-trr ici- --
We don`t want ..any of . ycr
g
a in ere': rn'� lady'
•
ightign has ended '..:-but'~having laid down the
•
F
tools :of :war we .can't fold our arms and: consider:
ii
i
the: fob done.
tte d ao.
is -W
ln s,..have to be, a n. .
de
g.
we'rehavengn otherVictory
Loan.
.
: •, ;.::;
•
•
•
it's •. just as .necessary.that we . ''uy'9th Victory
�-war
was
` _ _ ^ o lit the
nzzds as �-the=bonds �►e b , ug while
ori.
A ,' lot .of. war expenses remain ;to tbe: paid. Other
enses• connectedwith our war' effort are 'still.
, exp .. , . ...
moneymeet 'theses
--going -on:: S�--Ca>niada needs • to �
bills
A.
food., a
��' is ,• ,
Our ` allies: look,' -to 'us to help .
P provide
other, 'necessities which liberated pe plc y
re -
+quire, `,Canadian farms 'and -Canadian factories_
.
must --.,furnish ;these things. Canada needs money
.to provide -credits -so that -needy that -needy c untries-may buy
p
f rom us.
'tin .• ' e . 'm must be re-established fur fighting n u d in civil
•
fe and. ,hose:. sick and; wounded returned to
lat, is their : due. ` Canada ^needs money to f.
ealth.
Ire
o this.
The -9,th Victory • Loan, therefore is a challenge to
:. :..f
every' Canadian to� help F nis h•. thee .Job,, d .
time •
Thisone loan rr�usf;do the work of two. There
will not be another "Victory Loan for •a year. We
must buy bonds this time—double the amount 'we
bought last time. That will not be hard to do be.
cause the same rate of savings as in previou's loans
will pay, for twice as many bonds over the .12,.`
month period.
• ti
Local War -Finance mlttees>
• yrde
Mu
alesrfan
J. W Joynt,: A..E. McKim; r
and J:.A. ThoMoson.. •T W. Smith;