Dr. Mary Percy Jackson (27 December 1904–6 May 2000) was a medical practioner in the Canadian state of Alberta for 45 years based in the Peace River Country.
Mary was one of the eldest of four children. Her father, Thomas Arthur Percy, was unusual for the time because he believed his daughters as well as his sons should be educated. Thomas Percy was a woollen merchant and taylor in the town of Dudley, England. Many of Mary's family, including her mother, were school teachers. However, at the age of 11 Mary decided she wanted to be a doctor. No-one, including Mary, knows why she made this choice. Her father thought she would have made an excellent lawyer because she argued so much! However, in those days, women were not allowed to be lawyers.
Mary qualified as a doctor in 1927 and took the Queen's Prize for having the highest marks in her class. This is partly because the professors had believed that if women were going to learn medicine they should learn it properly. They gave the women all the worst cases; the really grim stuff. This was something Mary was thankful for and provided an excellent training for her later work.
Mary wanted to work in obstetrics in Calcutta, India. This post only came up every third year. Mary graduated in 'the wrong year' so had to find other work to fill in the time until she could apply. A colleague drew her attention to a job advertisment in the British Medical Journal. It was seeking a female doctor to serve in Alberta. It stated the ability to ride a sadle horse was an advantage. Mary had previously taken up horseriding after comments about needing more exercise. Although her family said she rarely, if ever, left the indoor arena. Mary learnt that Alberta had the Rocky Mountains she was keen to go. Little did she realise just how far north she was to be stationed or that the Rockies were nowhere near!
According to Mary's brother, one of the reasons that the advert stated a female doctor was required was because someone would have to pay for a housekeeper if a male doctor was appointed. In those days it was believed that men couldn't be expected to cook or clean. Mary had grown up during the First World War. Food was short in those days. There certainly was not enough food for girls to have cookery lessons with at school. Mary was from a family who had a maid so was not not used to cooking. Cooking on a wood burning stove that needed almost continual stoking to stop it going out was not easy. For quite a time she relied heavily on her primus stove.
Mary was based in Battle River Prarie. She had a remote house, which was in the middle of the area she was to serve. The property was far from clean when she arrived. There were no shelves for her medical supplies (or anything else) and the only place for a patient to lie down was her own bed. In these early days there were 8 deliveries of post... a year. This was one a month for the months the river was not frozen. There were no roads to speak of.
She began her practice immediately. Pneumonia was common in the area but much of the work was from accidents including falls, gunshot wounds and axe wounds. There were also childbirths. Most men in the area expected their wives to give birth without the help of a doctor so the births Mary attended were 'the kind that would turn you grey'.
One of Mary's early patients was Frank Jackson, a trapper who had contracted blood poisoning in his hand. He had treated himself for a time but sought out Mary when the infection started to spread. Mary opened up the infection, bandaged the wound and left him to sleep. They soon found they had much incommon, including a love of classical music. Frank started to find excuses to travel and see Mary and they started courting. They were married March 10 1931 in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks at Battle River.
After they were married, Mary moved to her husband's homestead at Keg River; a settlement that was even more remote! Mary lost her wages. The government hadn't decided that there was a need for a doctor in Keg River and Mary was now a married women. In those days husbands were supposed to provide for their wives. This didn't stop Mary from practicing medicine though.
The Indians and Metis in the small community were remarkably fit but were being decimated by Tuberculosis. Mary managed to almost irradicate TB in the area with preventative techniques, such as stopping people with TB spitting on the floor. Prior to Mary's arrival the people had little idea of germs and how they spread disease. This was before there were any drugs to treat TB.
In 1935 work started to create the road that is now the Mackenzie Highway. It was during the Depression and the government had created a work programme. This provided employment for the unemployed and helped build infrastructure. The conditions for the men were grim and their canned food supplies were frozen solid. Mary treated many cases of frostbite. More than she had seen in the previous 6 years. The creation of the road altered life in the north significantly. Transporting patients to hospital became possible and it was possible to get supplies.
It wasn't until after the Second World War that the road was passable in summer when the frost had melted and the ground was swampy. The road created work for Mary, particularly in the early days when the road was dust. In summer, drivers would follow the dust cloud of the vehicle infront (which could last a couple of miles) as a way to find the road. Sometimes they would end up crashing into the vehicle infront.
Mary and Frank had various holidays towards the end of Frank's life and experienced life away from the North. Frank died September 1, 1979. At first Mary found there was little point in living but she started doing more lectures and talks. She also visited her family in Britain several times, often taking some of her grandchildren with her. Whilst in England she often stayed with her brother who by then had retired to Worcestershire, not far from Dudley where they had grown up.
Mary had many interesting stories, both from her own life and the extensive reading she undertook. She had a very down to earth attitude and spoke plainly. She had no fear of being dead. Once saying 'It's not being dead that one is afraid of, but a process of dying after a stroke or a heard attack. When you've almost got one foot in heaven, it's a bit annoying to be brought back so you can do the whole think again slowly. Doctors say they don't want to play God, but if a person has died suddenly and then is brought back to life, that is playing God.'
Recognitions
- 1929, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Birmingham, UK.
- 1953, Master Farm Family of Alberta award for proficiency (awarded to only five farming familes in total).
- 1967, Centennial Medal of Canada "in recognition of valuable service to the nation".
- 1975, Alberta Achievement Award, together with her husband, Frank Jackson "in recognition of outstanding srevice in the community".
- 1975, Woman of the Year by the Voice of Native Women.
- 1976, Honary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.
- 1983, Alberta Order of Excellence.
- 1989, Officer in the Order of Canada.
In 1955 she recieved a type-written letter dated 28 July 1955 from Clarence House, on behalf of the British Queen Mother:
CLARENCE HOUSE S. W. 1. 28th. July 1955. Dear Dr. Percy-Jackson, I am commanded by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to write and say that Her Majesty commands me to send you a brief word of appreciation for the truly great work that you are doing in and around Keg River. I am to explain that Queen Elizabeth reads the magazine of the Fellowship of the Maple Leaf and Her Majestywas deeply impressed to read of your great work, to alleviate suffering and to bring comfort to those who live in such isolated and often almost intolerably difficult surroundings. Queen Elizabeth knows full well that such work cannot be carried out without real courage and self-sacrifice, and I am to finish this short letter by saying how much Her Majesty hopes that you may go from strength to strength in your great undertaking, Yours sincerely, Katherine Seymour.
See Also
- Alberta Report, December 26, 1983. Article Pioneering Peace medicine, pages 30–33 by Tom Philip.
- On the Last Frontier subtitled Pioneering in the Peace River block, Letters of Mary Percy Jackson. First published 1933 Sheldon Press (London)/General Board of Religious Education (Toronto); 118 pages.
- The Homemade Brass Plate subtitled The story of a pioneer doctor in northern Alberta as told to CORNELIA LEHN by Cornelia Lehn. Biography, published 1988 by Helena Braun/Fraser Valley Custom Printers; 215 pages. ISBN 0–9692962–2–1.
- A Candle in the Grub Box (biography of Frank Jackson up until 1931).
- Jam in the Bed Roll subtitled The continuing story of Frank Jackson as told to Shelia Douglas by Shelia M. Douglas. Published 1979 by Shires Brook, Nanaino, British Columbia; 151 pages.