HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-06-29, Page 49Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 29, 1983—Page 25
Dr. W. V. Johnston , Lucknow family practitioner for 30 years
DR. W. V. JOHNSTON
Dr. W. V. Johnston, medi-
cal doctor in Lucknow for 30
years, was widely known and
respected, not only in Luck -
now but throughout the prov-
ince of Ontario.
During his distinguished
career, he served as pres-
ident of the Ontario Medical
Association and helped
found the College of Family
Physicians of Canada.
William Victor Johnston
was a native of West Wawa -
nosh Township, where he
was born May 9, 1897, a son
of the late Mr. and Mrs.
Albert E. Johnston. He at-
tended Lucknow High School
and after graduation from
Medical College in Toronto,
he returned to Lucknow to
practice medicine. He took
over the office of the late Dr.
A. G. Elliott in July of 1924.
For the next 30 years, until
March of 1954, he served as
family physician, a term he
preferred to general practi-
tioner, in Lucknow and the
surrounding rural country-
side. In the early years, he
travelled by horse and buggy
or cutter.
Dr. Johnston's office was
located in his home on Out-
ram Street, later to become
the home of his associate and
successor, Dr. M. H. Corrin.
For many years Dr. Johnston
was active in community and
civic activity, serving on the
Lucknow High School Board
for 22 years and as president
of the Lucknow Clansmen
Club for several years when
it was the community's only
men's service club.
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Lucknow
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Lucknow
528-3020
Congratulations
on your
125th Birthday
Lucknow
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Open 7 days a week
Lucknow
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Dr. Johnston took a posi-
tion as Executive Director of
the College of General Prac-
tice with headquarters in
Toronto in 1954, retiring
from his Lucknow practice.
The name of the association
was later changed to College
of Family Physicians of Can-
ada.
Dr. Johnston served with
the Addiction Research
Foundation in Toronto. He
was a life member of the
Ontario Medical Association,
a senior member of the
Canadian Medical Associa-
tion, an honourary Fellow of
the College of General Prac-
tice of Great Britain and
Australia. He had an LL.D.
from the University of West-
ern Ontari and held a Fellow-
ship of the College of Family
Physicians of Canada, which
struck a medal in his honour
and established the William
Victor Johnston Oration.
Following his retirement,
Dr. Johnston turned his hand
to writing and was author of
a best selling book, Before
the Age of Miracles, which
described early medicine in
this area as experienced
personally by him, a general
practitioner for 30 years. He
was in the process of estab-
lishing a second book on the
subject of aging when he
died suddenly at his home in
March of 1976.
Upon retiring to Lucknow,
Dr. Johnston had renewed
friendships of long standing
which time did not permit
when engaged as a family
physician. He had reintro-
duced himself to community,
church and social life here
and was missed by the whole
community when he died.
He was predeceased by his
first wife, the former Mar-
jorie Schell. His second wife,
the former Greta Wilson, still
makes her home in Lucknow.
She is active with the Luck -
now Branch of the Canadian
Cancer Society and serves on
the Lucknow Library Board.
Dr. Johnston had a family of
one son, Bruce and three
daughters, Catherine, Mrs.
John Mowbray; Mary, Mrs.
William MacKinnon and
Nancy, Mrs. John Torilio.
A review of Dr. Johnston's
book, Before the Age of
Miracles, (Memoirs of a
Country Doctor) appeared in
the Toronto Globe and Mail
and was printed in the Luck -
now Sentinel in October,
1972.
An autographed copy of
the book presented to Dr.
Johnston's colleague, Dr. M.
H. Corrin is available in the
waiting room at the Lucknow
Medical Centre, where many
have had the opportunity to
become acquainted with
Lucknow's country doctor
through the pages Of his
writing.
Fitzhenry and Whiteside,
212 pages, $6.95
From the Globe and Mail
This is a distinguished
book. It contains no hint of
apologetics for the medical
profession and it is no mere
smarmy story of the lovable
country doctor of a past
generation - although Dr.
Johnston was just such a
doctor and even drove a
faithful Model T.
He has served all his
working life in the village of
Lucknow in one of the
famous snow belts of our
province. But, far from be-
coming sunk in rural obscur-
ity this very special country
doctor kept up his self-crit-
ical, inquisitive and coni-
pletely dedicated interest in
his profession. At the same
time he became more and
more dedicated to the prin-
ciple that a doctor must be
concerned about sick people
themselves, more "whole -
people oriented" than "dis-
ease -oriented".
Admitting that his book is
a "narrative of my life and
the life of my time as a
doctor", the author makes it
clear that he did not set out
to write an autobiography
but a book about medicine.
Fortunately, although he has
succeeded admirably in his
aim, his medical lore is
invariably related to his
inimitable experience.
He began practicing in
1924 "shortly before there
was insulin for the diabetic or
liver extract for pernicious
anemia and long before any
of the antibiotics".
There were no stopper or
starter drugs - pill for
slowing you down or pepping
you up - no pills to control
fertility.
A book written to show the
advance of medical know-
ledge illustrated by case
Turn to page 27.
Congraculations
on your
125th Birthday
Lucknow
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Open Jamboree Weekend TIII 2.30 e.m.
Manager Pat Grazier and stall, Vikki Beasley, Dawn Brown,
Grayce Durnin, Cheryl Hackett.
Campbell St.
Lucknow 528-2212
Congratulations
on
Lucknow's 125th
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