the village would be completely drained. As an added precaution, that portion of Main Street extending from the present location of the United Church manse to the bridge was to be macadamized.

Although he may have been preceded by practitioners who were resident in the village for short periods, credit for being the first doctor to practice there for a considerable length of time must be given Dr. James Walsh. Born in Charlottetown, he attended St. Dunstan’s College from which he entered the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. After he graduated, at the age of 22, the brilliant young doctor took post-graduate work in New York, Chicago and at the Mayo Clinic. He entered upon his practice at Mount Stewart in 1877 and per- formed his work faithfully and well for the impressive term of 515 years. His death occurred on February 26, 1932. A number of other doctors, many of whom were no less prominent in church and community affairs, resided in the area for lengthy periods. These, with their years of ser- vice, are as follows:

Dr. J. G. Toombs, 1884—1929 Dr. A. B. Martin, 1924-1946 Dr. T. L. Farmer, 1931-1947 Dr. G. G. Sheppard, 1947-present

The Mount Stewart area was the birthplace of two doctors who had distinguished careers in other parts of the province. Dr. “Roddie” and Dr. “Gus,” as they were affectionately called, were born within a few miles of each other. Roderick J. MacDonald was born at Maple Hill on May 16, 1858, the son of Ronald and Jane MacDonald. Upon graduation from Trinity College, Toronto, he practised at St. Peter’s Bay for the lengthy period of 69 years, a term perhaps unequalled anywhere in the world. His years of service won him recognition as the dean of Canada’s physicians and, in 1952, the rank of Knight of St. Gregory the Great, conferred by Pope Pius XII. Dr. A. A. MacDonald, the son of Joseph J. MacDonald, was born at St. Andrew’s on the property where the college of the same name was once located. On the occasion of a luncheon given in Dr. Roderick’s honour by the Canadian Medical Association in 1958, he remarked that he had practised to the east and west of Dr. “Roddie.” It is true that he practised briefly at Mount Stewart, but it was at Souris that this grand-nephew of another Dr. Roderick J. MacDonald, the first English-speaking doctor on the Island, performed the greater part of his life’s work.

Although Drs. La Coursiere and Green practised dentistry at Mount Stewart for brief periods during the twenties, the village’s only long-time dental surgeon was Dr. James D. Reddin. Born in Truro, Dr. Reddin taught school at Southport for two years prior to attending and eventually graduating from Dalhousie Dental School in 1933. He practised at Mount Stewart, St. Peter’s and Souris until 1939 and in Moncton from 1939-1945. He then returned to Mount Stewart Where he pursued his vocation until the time of his death, February 9, 1966.

During the period 1950—1971, Mount Stewart was fortunate in hav— ing a resident Public Health nurse in the person of Miss Ida MacKay. Miss MacKay was, at first, responsible for a very extensive area, and her offices were located, successively, in the former residence of Dr. A. B. Martin, in the home of Mrs. Luther Coffin, and in the public library build- ing. The service is now operated from Charlottetown.

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