Chronology
of the Notre-Dame Hospital
Internes’ Strike [1934]
For
a full understanding of this issue, consult the collection
of documents provided elsewhere at the site.
| February
14, 1934 |
The
Medical Council of Notre-Dame Hospital considers applications for the positions
of internes (senior and junior) at the hospital for the coming year. All applications
received from French Canadian candidates were accepted. As there was need for
one more interne, Dr. Sam Rabinovitch was hired as senior interne. Dr. Rabinovitch
had already spent one year at the hospital as a junior/student interne. Dr. Rabinovitch
had graduated first of his class at the Université de Montréal. |
| | |
| Between
February and June, 1934 | Notre-dame
hospital receives three resignations from French Canadian internes-doctors who
have been offered better salaries at other hospitals. | | | |
| June
1 (?), 1934 |
A
petition signed by the doctor and student internes of Notre-Dame Hospital is received
by the Medical Board. The petition demands that the contract between the hospital
and Dr. Sam Rabinovitch be broken. After "considerable deliberation"
the Board decided to respect the signed contract. This resolution was sent to
the Bureau of Administration. After further deliberations, the Bureau unanimously
decided to abide by the contract. Sometime afterward, the Medical council sent
a representative to meet with the internes and to convey the consequences from
the hospital’s point of view. |
| | |
| June
14-15, 1934 (midnight) | All
the French Canadian internes of Notre-Dame Hospital go on strike to support their
petition. | | | |
| June
15, 1934 (11h.30) |
Meeting
of the Medical Council to consider the issue. They decide to have the internes
brought before them to urge them to reflect on the issue. The internes were to
meet in two separate groups: the junior, under the authority of the Université
de Montréal, and the senior, under the authority of the hospital. The internes
refused to meet in two separate groups. The Medical Council refused to meet them
as one group because they were not all under its authority. The authorities requested
that the internes resign and issued a call for application to the new vacant positions.
Rumours circulate
that the strike may spread to the internes of other hospitals. |
| | |
| June
16, 1934 (12h.00) | The
strike has now spread to four other hospitals: Hôpital Miséricorde, Sainte-Justine,
Hôtel-Dieu and St. Jean-de-Dieu. An estimated 75 internes (senior and junior)
are on strike. The internes of Sacred Heart Hospital, Ste. Jeanne D’Arc and
Verdun hospitals refused to walk-out although they signed a petition of support
of their colleagues at Notre-Dame. Doctors from the hospitals and practionners
from around Montreal provide extra hours of work to ease the situation. |
| | |
| June
16, 1934 | The
strikers, as a body, met with the authorities of Notre-Dame Hospital to demand
the firing of Dr. Rabinovitch. | | | |
| June
16-17, 1934 | New
internes are hired and applications are received by the hospitals. Rumours circulate
that some 200 nurses might walk-out in support of the strikers. Patients are reported
to be leaving Notre-Dame hospital at a rate three times higher than is normal
during a regular week-end. | | | |
| June
18, 1934 | Dr.
Sam Rabinovitch wrote his letter of resignation. |
| | |
| June
19, 1934 | The
authorities of Notre-Dame Hospital meet for nearly four hours between 4h.00 and
8h.00 pm. They issued a three point statement. | | | |
| June
19, 1934 | L’Illustration reports that last year there nearly was a strike at Notre-Dame Hospital by
the internes over their low salaries. | | | |
| June
19, 1934 | The
internes from the five striking hospitals returned to work at 7h.30 p.m. |
| | |
| June
19, 1934 | Le
Canada reports that it is under the influence and persistent urging of Dr.
A. Rabinovitch that Sam Rabinovitch agreed to resign his position. On the other
hand, representatives of the Jewish population of Montreal would have urged him
not to resign. | ©
1999 Claude Bélanger, Marianopolis College
|
