Labour In The Laboratory: Medical Laboratory Workers In The Maritimes, 1900-1950 (Mcgill-Queen's/Associated Medical Services (Hannah Institute) Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society)

Medical laboratory workers play a crucial role in the health care system but are often hidden from public view. Unlike many previous histories of Canadian health care, Labour in the Laboratory offers an intimate portrait of the women (and a few men) who laboured at the bench. In a detailed analysis of local hospital records, membership records, newspapers, professional health care journals, and other sources, Peter Twohig shows that the history of health care looks different when seen from the perspective of workers other than physicians or nurses. Medical Laboratory Technology Is Currently The Third Largest Health Profession In Canada But Those Who Work In It Remain Largely Invisible, Both To The Public And In The Literature. In Labour In The Laboratory Peter Twohig Examines The Origins Of The Laboratory Workforce In The Maritime Provinces And Rethinks The Broader History Of The Twentieth-century Canadian Hospital.--jacket. Peter L. Twohig. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [215]-233) And Index. Labour in the Laboratory is also about the ways in which health care work has been organized. Twohig reveals that many health care workers fulfilled multiple roles, challenging traditional ideas of professional boundaries and exclusive control over particular tasks. Using evidence from the Maritime provinces, he challenges assumptions about health care work and hospital development throughout Canada and beyond. "Medical laboratory technology is currently the third largest health profession in Canada but those who work in it remain largely invisible, both to the public and in the literature. In Labour in the Laboratory Peter Twohig examines the origins of the laboratory workforce in the Maritime provinces and rethinks the broader history of the twentieth-century Canadian hospital."--Résumé de l'éditeur Contents Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Preface Abbreviations Illustrations 1 Introduction 2 Laboratory Work in the Maritimes: The Institutional Context 3 The Content of Laboratory Work 4 Not Just Bench Warmers: Labour in the Laboratory 5 Diffuse Roles and Multitasking 6 Recruitment, Mobility, and Wages Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Medical laboratory workers play a crucial role in the health care system. This book offers a portrait of the women (and a few men) who laboured at the bench, and shows that the history of health care looks different when seen from the perspective of workers other than physicians or nurses.