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The Ontario Cancer InstituteSuccesses and Reverses at Sherbourne Street |
eBook Available
An in-depth look at the Ontario Cancer Institute's growth from a small hospital dedicated to radiation treatment to a large, internationally famous centre for cancer treatment and research.
In The Ontario Cancer Institute Ernest McCulloch discusses how the institute, dedicated to the goal of reducing the burden of cancer, continuously strove for excellence and shows how both original and collaborative work were encouraged within a supportive environment.
To achieve this goal the institute divided its operation into four strands: two of the strands were the research areas - the study of advanced radiation therapy and biology, which worked separatively but cooperatively; a third was patient care; and the fourth element was leadership, provided by the clinical chiefs, the heads of the research divisions, and the administration, in particular the institute's first administrator, John Law. Together these strands helped create a philosophy that made the Ontario Cancer Institute unique and provided the basis for its national and international success. Essential to these successes was a new graduate department, Medical Biophysics, based in the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies. This department, which provided an innovative, research-based doctoral and masters program, meant that the OCI could accurately be described as a centre for cancer treatment, research, and education. McCulloch describes how the first quantitative assay for stem cells played a major role in bringing OCI research to the international stage as well as influencing other science and much of the clinical thinking in the Institute. Other major advances that brought international recognition have been the identification of the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to resist death from the effects of a variety of different tumours and the isolation of the gene that encodes the T cell receptor, a critical part of the immune apparatus for dealing with foreign cells and viruses. McCulloch also details how lack of space to meet growing demands was a continuing source of frustration and disagreement, and how sometimes serious interpersonal problems hindered the forward thrust of development. Describing these events as well as institute's successes, he provides an insight into the history of Canada's premier cancer research centre.
To achieve this goal the institute divided its operation into four strands: two of the strands were the research areas - the study of advanced radiation therapy and biology, which worked separatively but cooperatively; a third was patient care; and the fourth element was leadership, provided by the clinical chiefs, the heads of the research divisions, and the administration, in particular the institute's first administrator, John Law. Together these strands helped create a philosophy that made the Ontario Cancer Institute unique and provided the basis for its national and international success. Essential to these successes was a new graduate department, Medical Biophysics, based in the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies. This department, which provided an innovative, research-based doctoral and masters program, meant that the OCI could accurately be described as a centre for cancer treatment, research, and education. McCulloch describes how the first quantitative assay for stem cells played a major role in bringing OCI research to the international stage as well as influencing other science and much of the clinical thinking in the Institute. Other major advances that brought international recognition have been the identification of the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to resist death from the effects of a variety of different tumours and the isolation of the gene that encodes the T cell receptor, a critical part of the immune apparatus for dealing with foreign cells and viruses. McCulloch also details how lack of space to meet growing demands was a continuing source of frustration and disagreement, and how sometimes serious interpersonal problems hindered the forward thrust of development. Describing these events as well as institute's successes, he provides an insight into the history of Canada's premier cancer research centre.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen’s/AMS Healthcare Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society (number 19 in series)
200 Pages, 6 x 9
ISBN 9780773525252
August 2003
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"McCulloch provides an interesting insight into the benefits of a dedicated research centre, and the interactions of the individuals recruited. He covers a period when the whole concept of cancer as a malignant stem cell disorder evolved and concepts of how chemotherapy worked became understood. The immense progress occurred during McCulloch's career and he was able to sit back and look at the history in a remarkably objective fashion. It is well worthwhile to have a comprehensive review of how these discoveries were actually made." Peter R. Galbraith, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University.
"This book is of significant historical interest written by one of the major fathers of Canadian hematology." Dale A Dotten, St Michael's Hospital
"This book is of significant historical interest written by one of the major fathers of Canadian hematology." Dale A Dotten, St Michael's Hospital
Ernest A. McCulloch, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, has been with the Ontario Cancer Institute since its inception, where he began his research with contributions to the viral etiology of cancer, and is senior scientist emeritus.
9780773554863
$140.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773528970
$125.00 CAD
Cloth
