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Room Use Analysis:
How did the Doctor Use the Consulting Room? |
Topics in Material Culture |
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Room Use Analysis:
How did the Doctor Use the Consulting Room?
One
of the most interesting aspects of studying the house is the changes in
use through time. Although the re-created office represents
the practice during the late 1800s, sometime around when Dr. Robert Michael
Hillary began practicing with his father Dr. Robert William Hillary, the
layout is based on the room as described by Nora Hillary from her childhood
memories. To date, none of the family's archival material provides clues
as to how the room really looked or was used by the doctors. Although
the daybooks of Dr. Robert William survive, there is no specific reference
to how he set up the space and why, or why he selected particular pieces
of furniture. The furniture is authentic with the exception of the
Doctor's desk which belongs in the dispensary. The daybooks detail many
different aspects of the Doctor's business and household activities. He
does list the patients that he sees in the consulting room, but because
of his inconsistent note taking and illegible writing, it is very difficult
to cross-reference what sorts of cases he is diagnosing, and the treatments
that he prescribes. An extensive study and database of the daybooks' contents
can be referenced through the University of Waterloo's Department of Public
History. In addition, Jacalyn Duffin's book, Langstaff: A
Nineteenth Century Medical Life (Duffin, 1993), offers an excellent
comparative study. Dr. Langstaff practiced one town south of Aurora
in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
By far, the majority of his medical consultations are house calls throughout the region. Reasons for this type of practice are yet to be determined although the archives do reveal that Dr. R. W. had an excellent reputation as an accoucher, and many of his visits involved childbirth and related cases. There is less evidence available about Dr. R.M. Hillary's practising patterns, although we know that the office in the house was used more extensively than it was by his father. This conclusion is, however, based on the childhood memories of the Hillary children and is not necessarily accurate.