Conclusion

Black and white photograph of a winter urban landscape. The subject in the center of the image is a large beaux-arts inspired building made of large gray stone bricks. In the foreground, the street and a few parked cars are visible

Exterior view of the Radium Institute building, 1967

A History of Failure ?

The inauguration of the Radium Institute in 1923 gave the impression that Québec had joined the great march of Western scientific progress. However, forty years later, when the institute finally closed, it became clear that most of its initial aspirations were not met. Still, it would be wrong to equate the history of the Institute with failure.

From 1926 to 1967, over 67,000 patients were treated at the hospital, a major portion of whom were lower-class. Moreover, this one small hospital helped train specialized medical personnel in new technologies used in cancer treatments and radiology. The Institute also represented the first Canadian effort in the fight against cancer, which stimulated national interest in the field.

As for its importance for the history of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the presence of Montréal’s Institut du radium in the borough’s former Town Hall gave new life to this old historical building. It even prevented the sale of it to the federal Government, so that it may eventually house a new public institution in 1981: the Maisonneuve Public Library, which still today plays a central role in the vitality of the neighbourhood.

Color photograph depicting a building with a facade made of large gray stones accompanied by Beaux-Arts-inspired pillars. Modern extensions have been added along its sides, with facades made of glass and metal sheets.

Maisonneuve Public Library, 2024

One Problem Leads to Another Credits and Acknowledgements