A New Era for the Radium Institute

This afternoon, Thursday at 4 p.m., Mgr Piette, Rector of the Université de Montréal, will be blessing the new radium hospital at 2636 Ontario Street East. Doctor Ernest Gendreau, Director of the province of Québec’s Radium Institute is inviting all those interested in attending to the ceremony, followed by a tour of the facilities.

– Le Canada, November 4, 1926

The relocation of the Radium Institute to Maisonneuve marked a turning point in its history. What was once envisioned as a research institute had now become a small hospital specialized in cancer treatment.

Black and white photograph of a large Beaux-Arts style building. Its facade is decorated with banners attached to its columns. The banners read: Lord, if you will, you can heal me. Lord, just say the word and I will be healed. The one you love is sick. Salutaris hostia.

Celebration banners on the Institute’s façade, between 1926 and 1956

An article in Le Devoir newspaper described in detail the layout of Maisonneuve’s new hospital. The ground floor, formerly the lobby of the Town Hall, had been partitioned into offices and research spaces using small varnished wood dividers. The basement was home to a laboratory, a room for the nursing staff and a vault to store the radium. The second floor was divided into two hospitalization wards—the Sacré-Cœur ward for the men, the Sainte-Vierge ward for the women—as well as a few private and semi-private units. It was in this decor that the Radium Institute would come to life.

Black and white photograph of an entrance hall leading to a staircase. The hall has Beaux-Arts features with marble pillars and white walls. Eight potted plants are arranged to form a path to the stairs.

Main staircase of the Institute decorated with plants, date unknown

Black and white photograph, slightly blurry, of a richly decorated Christmas tree located in a hall.

The Institute’s Christmas tree, 1949

In 1930, the institute had a staff of 46, including four doctors, 19 nurses, a team of secular technicians, and three nuns. Employees celebrated Christmas and the New Year with the patients staying at the hospital. Half of the nursing staff and technicians took a month’s vacation in July, and the other half in August. Office and kitchen workers, as well as the cleaning staff had two-weeks paid vacation.

The rest of the year, Doctor Gendreau and his colleagues came and went to and from the United States and Europe on several scientific trips. Now and again a politician or some other celebrity would drop by for a visit. Celebrations, conferences, scientific lectures and the inauguration of new equipment livened the Institute throughout the year.

Black and white photograph depicting seven men in suits in frowomennt of stone stairs in the background leading to the main door of the brick and stone building, of which only the base is visible.

French radiologists visit the Institute, 1937

Black and white photograph depicting seven well-dressed people behind a desk. There are five men and two women in the center. The group is in a high-ceilinged room with a window, photos, and a crucifix on the walls. The only furniture is a desk and a wooden chair.

Ève Curie’s visit to Montréal, 1939

Black and white photograph depicting seven men standing in a large hall behind a banquet table. Most of them are dressed in three-piece suits, but two of them are wearing cassocks.

Guests of the 25th anniversary of the Radium Institute, 1951

In the next section of this exhibition, you will discover the people and trades that have shaped the history of the Maisonneuve Institute.

Montage of four images depicting people. From left to right, the first is a nun, the second a nurse, the third is La Bolduc, and the fourth is a doctor.

The many faces of the Institute, 1932 and 1949

Moving to Maisonneuve The Grey Nuns at the Radium Institute