John Clarence Webster (21 October 1863 – 16 March 1950) was a Canadian physician, surgeon, and pioneer in

Obstetrics and gynaecology Obstetrics and gynaecology (also spelled as obstetrics and gynecology; abbreviated as Obst and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...

, topics upon which he wrote several textbooks. After his retirement in 1920 he became a historian, specializing in the history of his native

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, and a supporter of efforts to preserve heritage and historic sites.

Early life

He was born on 21 October 1863, in Shediac, New Brunswick, the son of James Webster. Webster was educated at Mount Allison College where he matriculated in 1878 and obtained a general Bachelor of Arts degree in 1882. After graduating, in 1883 he went to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

where he began medical studies at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, graduating MB ChB in 1888. He then did further postgraduate studies in both

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. From 1884 he was working as an obstetrician at Minto House School of Medicine on Chambers Street in Edinburgh. He obtained his doctorate (MD) in 1891 Enormously successful, by 1895 he was living at 20

Charlotte Square file:Charlotte Square - geograph.org.uk - 105918.jpg, 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

, one of the most exclusive addresses in Edinburgh. This huge house was previously home to Sir John Batty Tuke. In 1893 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

. In January 1896 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were Sir Alexander Russell Simpson, Sir William Turner, Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan and Sir John Batty Tuke.

Later life

Medical

In 1896, after thirteen years absence, he returned to Canada in 1896 and settled in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

where he was appointed Lecturer in Gynecology at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and Assistant Gynecologist to the Royal Victoria Hospital. In Montreal, Webster assisted with the formation of the Jubilee Nursing Scheme, which later became the Victorian Order of Nursesbr>
Three years later, in 1899, he moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

where he had accepted the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rush Medical College when it was affiliated with the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. He also worked at various hospitals in Chicago, including Presbyterian Hospital, the Central Free Dispensary, and St Anthony's hospital. He also contributed to various medical journals and was one of the Editors-in-Chief of ''Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics''. He was married to Alice Kussler Lusk, (1880–1953) of New York the same year he moved to Chicago. She was the daughter of the well known New York obstetrician named William Thompson Lusk. The couple had three children. Webster became well known for his pioneering work in obstetrics and gynecology in Chicago, and soon rose to the position of Head of the Department. The Baldy-Webster Operation is named after him: Webster first described the method of treating retrodisplacement of the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

in 1901 and James Montgomery Baldy modified it in 1903. The operation involved shortening the round ligaments, or ''Ligamenta rotunda''. He also published an important text on women's diseases in 1907.

History

Webster retired from medicine in 1919 and returned to Shediac. There, he began work to record and popularize the history of New Brunswick. History had been a lifelong interest, and he was now able to devote his entire energies to the task. As a doctor, he had obtained the wealth and resources that enabled him to acquire important historical documents which had not yet been deposited in museums. Most of these documents were later donated to the

New Brunswick Museum The New Brunswick Museum, located in Saint John, New Brunswick, is Canada's oldest continuing museum. The New Brunswick Museum was incorporated as the "Provincial Museum" in 1929 and received its current name in 1930, but its history goes back muc ...

, Saint John, but before then, he used them to produce an important body of literature on the history of New Brunswick,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, and early

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

(see list below). He was assisted by his wife in his work. For example, she translated various French language documents from the Acadian period, a difficult task given the archaic form of the language. A remarkable woman in her own right, Alice Webster was an important collector of art. She founded the Fine Arts Department of the

, created an endowment for the collection, and donated her own collection of regional and Asian art. She and Webster also acquired one of the most important artwork treasures in Canada, which portrays the death of

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

in 1759, by James Barry and is on exhibition at the New Brunswick Museum. Webster became a Trustee of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, a Member of the Historic and Monuments Board of Canada, and the Honorary Curator of Fort Beausejour Museum, for which he was responsible. Apart from his writings which remain definitive sources on many subjects, it was with the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada that he perhaps had his most lasting influence. Working with other members of the board, he surveyed the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

and made recommendations for the commemoration of dozens of sites throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with important historical relevance. Among these were: * Fort Gaspareaux *

Fort Beauséjour Fort Beauséjour (), renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755, is a large, five-bastioned fort on the Isthmus of Chignecto in eastern Canada, a neck of land connecting the present-day province of New Brunswick with that of Nova Scotia. The site was strate ...

* Fort Anne * Fort Louisbourg Webster was instrumental is preserving Fort Beausejour, even going so far as to purchase the land underlying the fort, which he subsequently donated to the nation. He died in Shediac in 1950. The Webster Mansion was at one time a country inn.

Personal life

Webster married Alice Lusk in 1899. They had three children. The Webster children were in many ways as remarkable as their parents. The eldest son, J. C. Webster, Jr. (1901–1931), contributed to Canadian aviation history before dying at an early age. Daughter Janet married the French artist Camille Roche and lived in Europe. She was incarcerated under the Nazi regime and died in captivity in 1945. Her letters were published by her father in 1945. The youngest son, Dr. William L. Webster (1903–1975), was a physicist and mathematician who worked under

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who was a pioneering researcher in both Atomic physics, atomic and nuclear physics. He has been described as "the father of nu ...

and Sir

James Chadwick Sir James Chadwick (20 October 1891 – 24 July 1974) was an English nuclear physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron. In 1941, he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired t ...

, and he was Secretary to the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

. On 16, March 1950, Webster died in Shediac,

, aged 86.

Awards and recognitions

* Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George * Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

* Five honorary degrees including an LLD from Mount Allison University. * Mount Webster in

Northumberland County, New Brunswick Northumberland County is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Geography Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy. The highest peaks in the province, including Mount Carleton lie in the ...

, was named for him * Governor of

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

(1934). * The

's J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal (1934). * In 1954 he was declared a Person of National Historic Significance as part of the Acadian Men of Letters.

Published works

''Medicine''

* Barbour, A. H. F (Freeland) & J. C. Webster, ''Anatomy of Advanced Pregnancy and of Labour as Studied by Means of Frozen Sections and Casts'', Volume II, Laboratory Reports Issued by the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, 1890. *''Researches in Female Pelvic Anatomy'', Edinburgh 1892 *''Ectopic Pregnancy. Its Etiology, Classification, Embryology, Diagnosis, and Treatment'', New York: Macmillan, 1895 *''Practical and Operative Gynecology'', Edinburgh and London, Young J. Pentland, 1896
PDF on Commons
*''Human Placentation: An Account of the Changes in the Uterine Mucosa and in the Attracted Fetal Structures During Pregnancy'', Chicago: W.T. Keener & Co., 1901 *"Satisfactory operation for certain cases of retroversion of the uterus" in ''Journal of the American Medical Association'', Chicago, 1901, 37: 913. *''Text-book of diseases of women'', 1907

''History''

*''Life of John Montresor'' (Royal Society of Canada, Ottawa, 1928. Reprint of 1894 Edition) *''History in a Government House'' (Shediac, N.B.: Privately printed, 1933). Paper read before the N.S. Historical Society on 1 April 1926. *''Joseph Frederick Wallet Desbarres and the Atlantic Neptune'', Royal Society of Canada, Ottawa, 1927. *''Wolfiana: A Potpourri of Facts and Fantasies, Culled From Literature Relating to the Life of

'' (Privately Printed, 1927) *''Samuel Vetch: An Address by Dr. J. Clarence Webster'' given on the occasion of the dedication of the monument to Vetch at Annapolis Royal, 22 September 1928 (Privately printed, 1929) *'' Cornelis Steenwyck: Dutch Governor of Acadie'' (Privately printed, 1929). *''The Forts of Chignecto'' (Shediac, N.B.: Privately printed, 1930). *''Wolfe and the Artists: A Study of His Portraiture'' (Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1930). *''Relation of the Voyage to Port Royal in Acadia or New France'' (Toronto: Champlain Society 1933) *''The Life of Joseph Frederick Wallet Desbarres'' (Shediac, N.B.: Privately printed, 1933). *''The Career of the Abbe Le Loutre with his translated autobiography'' (Shediac, N.B.: Privately printed, 1933). *''

at the End of the Seventeenth Century: Letters Journals and Memoirs of Joseph Robineau de Villebon, Commandant in Acadia, 1690–1700 and Other Contemporary Documents'' (Saint John: Monographic Series No. I, The New Brunswick Museum, 1934) *''The Siege of Beausejour in 1755: A Journal of the Attack on Beausejour written by Jacau De Fiedmont, Artillery Officer and Acting Engineer at the Fort'' (Saint John: Historical Studies No.1, Publications of the New Brunswick Museum, 1936). Translated by Alice Webster. *''Journals of Beausejour: Diary of John Thomas (Apr. 1755 to Dec 1755) and Journal of Louis de Courville (1755)'' edited by J. C. Webster (Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1937). *''The Life of

Thomas Pichon Thomas Pichon (30 March 1700 – 22 November 1781), also known as Thomas Tyrell, was a French government agent during Father Le Loutre's War. Pichon is renowned for betraying the French, Acadian and Mi’kmaq forces by providing information to t ...

, "The Spy of Beausejour"'' (Halifax: PANS, 1937). *''Historical Guide to New Brunswick'' (New Brunswick Government Bureau of Information and tourist Travel, 1940) There are also earlier editions of this book. *''Memorial on Behalf of Sieur de Boishebert'' (Saint John: Historical Studies No. 4, Publications of the New Brunswick Museum, 1942). Translated by Louise Manny; edited with introduction by Webster. *''The Catalogue of the John Clarence Webster Canadian Collection'' in three volumes (Saint John: catalogues No. 1, 2 & 3, New Brunswick Museum, 1939, 1946 & 1949)

''Other''

* ''The Distressed Maritimes : A Study of Educational and Cultural Conditions in Canada'' (Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1926) * ''Those Crowded Years''(Autobiography) (Shediac, N.B.: Privately printed, 1944) * ''Wolfe and the Artists: A Study of His Portraiture'' (Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1930) * ''The River St. John its Physical Features'' * "Historical Renaissance in the Maritime Provinces and in British Columbia" with W. N. Sage (in ''Canadian Historical Review'', 1936) * ''Edinburgh Memories. And Robert Louis Stevenson'' * ''A History of Shediac, New Brunswick''

References

External links

* Anonymous, 'Maison Webster Country Inn' (brochure outlining the life of Dr Webster and his family)
John Clarence Webster Fonds
Osler Library Archives, McGill University. Mostly correspondence of or about Dr. John Clarence Webster, from 1892 to 1952. Also includes his medical thesis and plates, 1891.

* Dr. Alfred Goldsworthy, ''The John Clarence Webster Collection'' (Saint John: Special Publication No. 1 of the New Brunswick Museum, 1936)

* ttp://www.nbm-mnb.ca New Brunswick Museum
1921 biographical sketch