DUFFERIN'S DYNAMIC DUO

Did you know... that two influential female doctors came from Mono Township?

Doctors Hannah, born 1870, and Minerva Reid, born 1872, grew up in a family of 12 in Mono Township on Beaver Meadow Farm. Hannah attended S.S. No. 6 Mono College while Minerva attended S.S. No. 8 Camilla, later attending Orangeville High School together, Hannah graduating in 1891. At this time, it was common for men and women to obtain a teaching certification after the completion of high school before continuing to post-secondary education. Hannah taught for three years, becoming a staff member of the Toronto Board on Education, and Minerva taught for two years while living with her brother Dr. John Reid, who inspired her to pursue medicine. Both sisters enrolled in medical school at the University of Toronto in 1901. Hannah continued teaching while attending university, using her evenings to study. She resigned from teaching after passing the fourth-year exam, completing one more year of lectures before graduating with Minerva in 1905. Both sisters are amongst the first women to graduate with a medical degree from the University of Toronto. After graduating, Hannah went to Boston as an Intern until she opened her own practice in Toronto in 1912, specializing in anesthesia and obstetrics. Minerva took over John’s practice when he went to England to obtain his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. Minerva also went to England in 1911 to obtain her Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons. After completion, she went to Dublin for her Licentiate. She was met with confusion when she arrived, as a woman never attended the institution before. She was permitted to stay and completed her diploma, returning to Canada in 1914 to open her practice in Toronto. From 1914 to 1925, she was the Chief of Surgical Service at Women’s College Hospital. It was common for the sisters to team up with Minerva operating and Hannah as Anesthesiologist. Minerva’s interest in education led to her securing a position as a member of the Toronto Board of Education from 1926 to 1932. She retired from Women’s College Hospital in 1938 to focus on her own practice. In 1944, Minerva saw the inadequate space and supplies for the wounded World War II soldiers who were being housed at an old factory. She took it upon herself to petition for the Federal Government to build a hospital, demanding adequate treatment be given to the soldiers. The petition gained 20,000 signatures and Sunnybrook Hospital was built. She worked at her practice until 1955, Hannah passing away the same year at the Women’s College Hospital. Hannah had retired in 1950, spending the last years of her life living with Minerva. Minerva passed away in 1957. Both women are buried in Mono College Cemetery.