In 1964–65, an international team of thirty-eight scientists and assistants, led by Montreal physician Stanley Skoryna, sailed to the mysterious Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to conduct an unprecedented survey of its biosphere. Born of Cold War concerns about pollution, overpopulation, and conflict, and initially conceived as the first of two trips, the proj- ect was designed to document the island’s status before a proposed airport would link the one thou- sand people living in humanity’s remotest commu- nity to the rest of the world – its germs, genes, culture, and economy. Based on archival papers, diaries, photographs, and interviews with nearly twenty members of the original team, Stanley’s Dream sets the expedition in its global context within the early days of eco- logical research and the understudied International Biological Program. Jacalyn Duffin traces the ori- gins, the voyage, the often-complicated life within the constructed camp, the scientific preoccupa- tions, the role of women, the resultant reports, films, and publications, and the previously unrec- ognized accomplishments of the project, including a goodwill tour of South America, the delivery of vaccines, and the discovery of a wonder drug. For Rapa Nui, the expedition coincided with its rebel- lion against the colonizing Chilean military, result- ing in its first democratic election. For Canada, it reflected national optimism as the country pre- pared for its centennial and adopted its own flag. Ending with Duffin’s own journey to the island to uncover the legacy of the study and the impact of the airport, and to elicit local memories, Stanley’s Dream is an entertaining and poignant account of a long-forgotten but important Canadian-led international expedition. Jacalyn Duffin, physician and historian, is profes- sor emerita at Queen’s University, where she held the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine from 1988 to 2017. 1 7 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 C A N A D I A N H I S T O R Y • H I S T O R Y O F S C I E N C E Stanley’s Dream The Medical Expedition to Easter Island jacalyn duffin The story of a passionate attempt to capture the entire biosphere of an isolated community facing ecological transformation. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S June 2019 -5,7a755pl7l5Sa7- 4p-i-lv bAU1 4p-i-lv Dc1 kpsiaa $.9ru nil B -isl lls66 Sps 6u9r931 p xo631 $9.9d2 30$rt98 0g99T omot.oN.0