"Still I See a Vast Advantage Here":1 The Challenges and Strategies of a Colonial Doctor in 19th-Century Guelph, 1834-58.

Abstract

In 1834, Dr. Henry Orton immigrated to Guelph, seeking to escape the English class system and attracted by the prospect of land ownership. The analysis of his letters and memoirs offers a rich trove of information about the strategies he pursued to survive in his new home. Joining the scholarly literature based on the analysis of medical casebooks, diaries, and letters, this study seeks to increase understanding of how colonial practitioners made a living. In common with other doctors, Orton describes gruelling work providing poorly paid medical services, competition by alternative practitioners, and seeking financial remuneration through land transactions. Relying on funds from family members in England, he details his partnership in a medical practice, commercial investments, and using his connections as a property owner to obtain paid political and civic offices. In the process, assisted by the emerging liberalism of his adopted country, Henry Orton reveals his contribution to Guelph's development as a middle-class community.