A collection of historical records of radiology in Canada soon will be re-homed.
Dr. Brian Lentle is a retired radiologist in British Columbia. He is the current owner of a collection of books and papers documenting Canadian radiology history, deciding to graciously donate the artefacts to Queen’s University upon being properly inventoried. While no formal discussions of transfer have taken place, Dr. Lentle’s intention is to accompany the donation with a financial gift to contribute to its maintenance.
Two books edited and written by Dr. Lentle:
Hans Joachim Burhenne: A Pioneer in Radiology 1925-1996;
A New Kind of Ray
Dr. Lentle was CAR President in 1997-1998 and co-edited A New Kind of Ray: The Radiological Sciences in Canada 1895-1995, the seminal text on a century of Canadian radiology history. Recently, he collaborated with Dr. Ian Hammond, Société Française de Radiologie (SFR), and International Society for the History of Radiology (ISHRAD), on a biographical compilation of international pioneers in radiology, submitting short profiles of relevant Canadian figures.
His avid reading inspired him to collect and maintain radiology history throughout his career.
“I love books, Joseph Conrad to Suzie Sheehy, so it was natural for me to read anything to do with radiology,” he recalled. “I got interested in the story of radiology when doing a locum in Red Deer while awaiting my examination results. A paper on early radiology in Alberta by Bill Parsons (of the Parsons’ Clinic there) fascinated me. It was so different from the dull history of British Royalty and a history surprisingly not forged in Edmonton or Calgary. I kept that paper for 25 years and put it in Ray. Since that locum, I have been a compulsive follower and collector (and, I am afraid, occasional writer) of radiology history. I have also made two pilgrimages to Wurzburg.”
Dr. Lentle reflected on his career that has spanned decades of technological and organizational change.
“I was on a neurology service thinking of neurology or psychiatry as a new graduate and realized that neurology was so dependent on radiology, even if the techniques in those days were primitive, so it was a neurologist that got me into radiology,” he recalled. “Technologically, radiology is hardly recognizable to back then. Kinder. Gentler. And with bright young people doing quality clinical work, education, and research.”
To this day, Dr. Lentle keeps in contact with colleagues and past CAR executives he has worked with along the way.
“It was started by Giles Stevenson here in Victoria, where we have a coffee group that started as mostly radiologists but has become more broadly based. Our chats are mostly about remembering former colleagues and the past. Nostalgia together with the pleasure of seeing the CAR become such a force, with the Journal, its government work, and more. Shared experiences. Remembering ‘so and so’. Past incidents. Books we are reading.”
Since his time as a member of the CAR executive, Dr. Lentle says the organization has diligently improved its value for members and has made exceptional progress.
“When I first became involved with CAR it was in decline. Membership, budget, hope. Could we afford the Journal? Known as an ‘old boys club’ with an excessively social yearly council meeting and a sometimes-solid Annual Scientific Meeting but going nowhere while the world of CT and MRI changed around us. Some of the senior officers realized that, with the prospect of declining enrollment, we were doomed. I got a Vancouver accounting firm to do a forensic audit in Montreal and they confirmed our worst fears. At our request, they suggested a prescription for a future revival. Council bravely supported the officers in a high stakes statement of intent by adopting their recommendations. So, a new path was forged, guided by their advice and resulting in professional management based in Ottawa and, if with a few early missteps, leading to the current management team who has taken us to where we are today. We spent what was virtually our last dime on that audit and it could have been a very different story, but thankfully not. There were some far-sighted people in the wings, and I was lucky to work with them.”
The CAR is grateful to Dr. Lentle for his contributions to radiology and the preservation of its history in Canada.