Village Squire, 1975-11, Page 20today, he says, but good doctors still have
come to the conclusion that the emotions of
people are just as important as their
afflications.
He himself became interested in people
cost Mortem and Mere Mortals by an
Australian physician. The books dealt with
the illnesses of famous people and how these
may have effected the course of history.
Napoleon, for instance, suffered from piles
and his suffering was so acute on the morning
of the battle of Waterloo that the early
morning attack was delayed several hours
before he was able to sit in his saddle. The
delay proved costly as he went on to lose the
battle when British reinforcements arrived in
time.
Many of the great advances of medicine, he
said, have not been in the treatment of
diseases, but in the prevention of diseases.
Malaria, polio, diptheria all, he points out,
have been conquered by prevention. Even
today much research goes into preventing
disease,. as well as better treatment. He
thinks medicine is on the verge of many
significant breakthroughs in treatment and
prevention.
" For a small town doctor he's won many
honours. In 1949 he was elected president of
the Ontario Medical Association. He was
interested in improving the lot of the
family doctor and telt this could best be done
through education. He was a moving force
behind the founding of the College of Family
Physicians of Canada and was honoured by
being named its founding director, a post he
held for 11 years. During that time he
travelled widely to such places as Russia,
. Australia and India. It's this travel he most
misses in retirement, he says.
He "retired;' in 1965 but kept active
working with the Addiction Research
Foundation in Toronto. He was named a life
member of the Ontario Medical Association, a
senior membeit of the Canadian Medical
Association, an , honorary Fellow of the
Colleges of General Practice of Great Britain
and Australia. He has an LL.D. from the
University of Western Ontario and holds a
fellowship from the College of Family
Physicians which also honoured him by
striking a medal in his honour and
establishing the William Victor Johnston
Oration.
It was after leaving his post with the
Addiction Research Foundation that he went
through his tough retirement period and then
began work on his book. He did several
versions of the books, he says, all in long
hand and they then were typed out first by his
wife. She didn't think it was very good, really
he recalls and adds with a chuckle "and she's
got pretty good judgement."
Obviously from the success of the book that
judgement failed at least once.
Dr. William Victor Johnston
GEDRARDS
The Square
GODERICH, ONT.
YOUR IN -TOWN
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18, VILLAGE SQUIRE/NOVEMBER 1975