The Radium Institute, a Source of Cultural Pride

Poster depicting a complex machine of tubes and alembics topped by the laboratory's emblem. The whole is presented as a technical drawing in black on white.

Poster of the Université de Montréal’s Radium Laboratory, circa 1923

On the day the Institute’s laboratories were inaugurated, Doctor Gendreau had nothing but good words for University Rector Monseigneur Piette, Premier Taschereau and the French Consul, all of whom were sitting in front of him. The presence of the consul was no accident, as Québec’s Premier explained:

And let us remain close to France, from which Doctor Gendreau drew his science. Also, I am happy to be the sponsor of radium alongside the consul of our fair France. As for us, we will continue to collaborate in the work of our university, by sending France our brightest young minds so that they may also learn from its science.

– Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, April 1923

Black and white photograph of a five-story imposing building built like a hook with its interior facing the street. In the center, on the sidewalk opposite the building, three men are standing and looking at the camera.

Université de Montréal building on Saint-Denis Street, 1903

Color photograph from Google Streetview. It shows the facade of a brown brick building in a modern style close to brutalism.

Université du Québec à Montréal’s Hubert-Aquin building, May 2021

Montréal’s Radium Institute was meant to strengthen the relationship between France and Québec. And indeed, the day after its inauguration, the French Consul backed the affiliation process between Montréal’s Institut du radium and Paris’s own renowned institute. On May 8, 1923, this affiliation was confirmed.

Color image representing a metallic seal mostly made of some sort of bronze. The central element is the depiction of the tree and the two seated men. Surrounding the center is inscribed American college of surgeons. At the bottom of the seal, it reads Founded in 1913 as well as the motto Omnibus per artem, fidemque, prodesse.

Seal of the American College of Surgeons, 2015

In addition to strengthening relations between France and Québec, the Radium Institute also contributed to the province’s prestige within North America. A few years later, in 1930, Doctor Burton J. Lee from the American College of Surgeons evaluated the quality of treatments and the scientific value of the work conducted at the Institute. When unveiling the results, the local press proudly announced that Montréal’s Radium Institute was the only organization in Canada to deserve the prestigious accreditation of “cancer institute.” This certified that the institution was the most effective hospital in the country when it came to tackling the issue of cancer.

A Strange Parcel A Victim of its Own Success