Fresh out of medical school in the mid-1970s, Lianne Lacroix begins her career in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, as the only female doctor in the far north. Every day brings new challenges and adventures. From births and heart pounding med-evac flights, to encounters with wildlife and the midnight sun, Lacroix's eyes are opened to the vastness of the land and its people. Central to her new world is a cadre of colourful medical personnel, including Dr. Angelo DiStefano, the surgeon who made national headlines in 1976 as the 'IMPOSTURE SURGEON'. Were the allegations true? For the first time, Lacroix tells the inside story, including Dr. DiStefano's confession and personal correspondence. Lacroix's memoir is a story of love, service, adventure and intrigue set in the exotic far north. Reviews: On the surface, this book looks like another narrative of a newly graduated doctor's first years in practice in a harsh environment. But as the excerpt above illustrates, this book is much more than that. Lianne Lacroix's writing is deceptive in its simplicity – clear, easy to read, but giving the reader wonderful insights into the struggles that we all deal with: career choices, diagnostic choices, treatment choices, personal choices related to partners, friends and family. In chronological order, Dr. Lacroix relates her life experiences from first deciding to go into medicine, summer jobs working as a lab technician in Fort George, Quebec, and her first job as a qualified physician, working at Inuvik General Hospital from 1973-77. Her love of people, place and medicine is evident in her descriptions of the Inuit community, her medical colleagues and her enthusiasm for making medical visits to remote communities. It is hard to believe that new family doctors in the '70s had only 1 year of a rotating internship and then were sent out to work in remote communities such as Inuvik, delivering babies, handling emergencies by themselves, even being Chief of Staff within a few years! But they were (I was one of them!) and this book documents how the support of more experienced colleagues was so critical to gaining confidence and clinical judgement. One of Dr. Lacroix's senior colleagues was general surgeon Dr. Angelo DiStefano, who made headlines in 1976 as "the imposter surgeon". One of the reasons for Dr. Lacroix writing this book is to present the experiences of the physicians who worked with Dr. DiStefano. In describing Dr. DiStefano's departure under the suspicion of being an imposter, Dr. Lacroix writes "I watched him walk away w earing his heavy parka and embroidered mittens, and felt that a golden age of medicine at Inuvik General Hospital was suddenly coming to a close. We would never see again such a wonderful competent colourful surgeon. " This episode marks a "coming of age" as a young physician, when you realize that many of the best mentors of our early years in practice are not recognized by the bigger community. In Dr. Lacroix's case, she had to deal with an extreme case, where her mentor's very credentials being called into question. This is an excellent book, which has value to readers of all ages and stages of practice. I highly recommend it! - Reviewed by Dr. Cathy Younger-Lewis, former FMWC president. About the Author: Doctor Lianne Lacroix is currently a General Practitioner in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. |