The Janes Surgical Society

Stephen E. O'Brien, MD; Alan W. Carrie, MD; Charles R. Palmer, MD

Can J Surg 1999;42:310-2

Members of the Janes Surgical Society could be found in major clinical and academic positions across the country from St. John's to Victoria. Their annual meetings served a dual purpose: they provided a forum for the exchange of scientific knowledge and ideas by the members; and they provided an opportunity for members and their wives to socialize and renew old friendships dating back to their residency days and to establish new relationships with surgeons and their wives from other countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Sweden.

Unfortunately, owing to death and retirements of its members, the Society can no longer hold scientific meetings and travel to distant centres. Its sole activity is now an annual dinner in Toronto, when members and their wives gather to recall the highlights and experiences in their lives that this unique surgical society provided.

On pouvait trouver des membres de la Janes Surgical Society dans les postes de commande des cliniques et universités au Canada, de St. John's à Victoria. Leur assemblée annuelle visait un double but : fournir aux membres une tribune pour partager leurs connaissances scientifiques et leurs idées; donner aux membres et à leur épouse l'occasion de se rencontrer, de renouer d'anciennes amitiés qui dataient parfois de leur formation en résidence et d'établir de nouvelles relations avec des chirurgiens d'autres pays et leur épouse, y compris des États-Unis, du Royaume-Uni, de la France et de la Suède.

Malheureusement, à cause du décès et de la retraite de ses membres, la Société ne peut plus tenir d'assemblée scientifique ni se rendre à l'étranger. Sa seule activité est un dîner annuel à Toronto où les membres et leur épouse peuvent se remémorer les grands moments et les expériences que cette société unique leur aura procuré.

Robert Meredith Janes was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto from 1947 to 1957. In this position, he succeeded Dr. W.E. Gallie, who had established Canada's first and best known surgical residency program. It was Dr. Janes's task to carry on the development and management of this most successful program initiated by his illustrious predecessor. That he accomplished this mandate with distinction was probably his most significant contribution to Canadian surgery.

FIG. 1. Robert Meredith Janes, 1894 to 1966.

As a tribute to their mentor and to strengthen and maintain their own bonds, the surgeons trained in the Gallie course had already established the Gallie Club (also known as the Gallie Slaves). They met annually in Toronto or elsewhere with their wives, and with Dr. and Mrs. Gallie as their guests of honour.

The meetings were both scientific and social in their makeup and were well attended by the members for many years until eventually their deaths and retirement led to the demise of the Club in the early 1970s.

Inspired by the precedent of the Gallie Club, several surgeons who had trained under Dr.  Janes felt that a similar organization honouring their mentor might be well supported by their colleagues. The concept of a Janes surgical society was the brainchild of Drs. Jim Murray and Hugh Gallie (son of Dr. W.E. Gallie). An organizational meeting was held in November 1953 at Dr. Murray's home and was attended by Drs. Murray, Gallie, Bill Lindsay, John Callaghan, Alex McIntyre, Neil Watters, Don Robertson and Bob Harris. All agreed with the concept of a Janes surgical society. Membership would be open to all surgeons who had taken at least 3 years of their training during Dr. Janes's tenure. Dr. Janes agreed with the proposal and accepted the role of patron. It was agreed that the society would meet annually for 2 or 3 days at various locations either in Canada or abroad, including either academic centres or resort areas as decided by the executive. The meetings would be a mix of scientific papers presented by the members and their hosts as well as recreational and social activities that included the wives. The inclusion of the wives in the new society was considered extremely important. This was strongly endorsed by Dr. Janes, and he and Mrs. Janes never failed to attend the annual meetings during their lifetime.

The early days

The inaugural meeting of the Janes Surgical Society was held in Ottawa in 1954, and was ably arranged by the late Dr. Gordon Beattie and his wife Donna. Twenty-one members and their wives attended, and the Janes Surgical Society was officially launched. Subsequent meetings were held in London, Ont., Sudbury, Ont., Windsor, Ont., and Banff, Alta. The first out-of-country meeting was held in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1961 but was poorly attended. As a result, the next 2 meetings were held in the Thousand Islands and Muskoka resort areas of Ontario with much greater attendance.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the Society's early history was the first overseas meeting in the United Kingdom in the fall of 1964. Under the very capable leadership of Drs. Bob Harris and the late Jim Simpson, 63 members and their wives, accompanied by Dr. and Mrs. Janes, flew by chartered aircraft to Glasgow, Scotland. There we enjoyed a most memorable combined meeting with members of the Illingworth Society honouring Sir Charles Illingworth on the occasion of his retirement after 25 years as Professor of Surgery at the University of Glasgow. At an unforgettable formal dinner at the University's Bute Hall, Dr. Janes proposed the toast to the University of Glasgow.

From Glasgow, we travelled over to Edinburgh and met with Sir John Bruce and his department at the University of Edinburgh for another session of scientific papers and more Scottish hospitality. Following this, a 10-day hiatus gave the members and their wives an opportunity for some travel on their own in the United Kingdom or on the Continent before reconvening in London. Final scientific meetings were held at St. Bartholomews Hospital, the Middlesex Hospital and the Royal College of Surgeons. Our meeting concluded with a magnificent formal dinner at the Royal College with our English hosts.

The Society after the death of Dr. Janes

In November 1966, Dr. Janes died at the age of 72 years. His funeral service at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church was attended by more than 40 members of the Janes Surgical Society entering the Church as a group. In his honour, the Janes Surgical Society subsequently established the Janes Lecture to be delivered annually at a regional meeting of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition, many members contributed articles to a special memorial issue of the Canadian Journal of Surgery dedicated to Dr. Janes who was the first chairman of the Journal's Editorial Board.¹

Subsequent meetings of the Janes Surgical Society included meetings with Dr. Robert Zollinger and his group at Ohio State University in Columbus and Dr. Alton Ochsner at his renowned clinic in New Orleans.

Our second overseas meeting was held in Paris in 1972 in conjunction with the Quebec Surgical Society and the Paris Academy of Surgery. A minor political incident that arose at this meeting was diplomatically averted by Dr. Jean Couture of Quebec. The Quebec government was to host a reception at Quebec House in Paris but only for the Quebec surgeons. When Dr. Couture learned that members of the Janes Surgical Society were not included in this function, he promptly declined on behalf of the Quebec surgeons. Happily the Quebec government quickly responded by issuing an invitation to the Society. An unpleasant situation was thereby avoided, and a most successful meeting ensued. Additional free time was again provided so that the members and their wives again had an opportunity for further travel on their own.

Another very successful association with British surgeons led to several combined meetings with the Moynihan Society both in Canada and the United Kingdom. This society included leading British surgeons dedicated to their renowned mentor Lord Moynihan. Meetings were held in Manchester in 1976 and in London in 1985. In turn, the Moynihan Society met with the Janes Surgical Society in Toronto in 1975 and Halifax in 1981.

Although several major teaching centres both in Canada and abroad served as locales for the Janes Surgical Society meetings over the years, many were also held at resort areas such as Banff, Alta., Whistler, BC, Muskoka, Ont., and Bermuda. Scientific papers presented by the members occupied the morning hours. The afternoons were usually devoted to sporting and leisure activities such as golf, tennis, sailing and skiing, which always included the wives. The meetings usually concluded with a formal dinner often followed by musical entertainment by such talented members as Bill McClintock on the clarinet, continuing on into the early morning. As a result, members across the country looked forward each year to this opportunity to renew old friendships dating back to their residency years and to exchange new ideas and information with their peers. Members of this unique surgical fellowship could be found in senior positions in almost every university department of surgery as well as in numerous smaller communities across the country. No other residency program in Canada has produced surgeons in larger numbers or of higher calibre.

Honorary members

Over the years, many noted surgeons around the world have participated in our meetings and have been admitted to honorary membership in the Janes Surgical Society. The list of honorary members includes Sir Clifford Naunton Morgan, Alton Ochsner, Lord Brock, Professor J.W. Taylor, Sir John Bruce, David Waterston, David Patey, Sir Charles Illingworth, Robert Zollinger, Jacques Turcot, Fred Kergin, Jacques Hepp, Keith Welsh and Donald Wilson.

Janes Surgical Society emblem

The Janes Surgical Society has a distinctive emblem designed by one of its members, Dr. Raymond Heimbecker, one of Dr. Janes's former chief residents. The emblem depicts the Janes lung tourniquet in the shape of the letter J enclosed in a circle. All members of the society have neckties emblazoned with this distinctive logo.

The final years

As would be expected, the years have taken their toll, and unfortunately several members have died. Furthermore, most of the surviving members have retired from surgical practice. Only a handful are still in active practice. As a result, it is no longer possible for the Society to hold the usual scientific meetings. The last such meeting was held in Stockholm in June 1989 and proved to be a most fitting swansong. Approximately 40 members and their wives travelled by air to Helsinki and then by overnight boat to Stockholm for a 4-day meeting, which included sessions at the Karolinska Institute and the Hudding Hospital. The Canadian ambassador to Sweden hosted a reception for the members and their Swedish hosts, and the annual dinner was held at the Grand Hotel. The meeting was a huge success in large part because of the efforts of the late Dr. Hugh Cleland who had trained under Dr. Janes and then practised orthopedics in Stockholm for many years. Following the meeting, most of the members and their wives toured Scandinavia and the Soviet Union just a few months before the breakdown of the latter country. For most, it was indeed a memorable trip and a fitting wind-down for the Society's last meeting.

For the past few years, the Janes Surgical Society's only activity has been an annual dinner meeting in Toronto each fall, which continues to attract a loyal band of followers. The days of scientific meetings and strenuous sporting activities are over. However, the opportunity to renew old friendships and enjoy the long-standing fellowship still remains and hopefully will continue for years to come. But as one member suggested at our most recent dinner, perhaps we should lock away in a vault a bottle of vintage champagne to be brought out and enjoyed by the last 2 surviving members at some hopefully distant date.

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Correspondence to: Dr. S.E. O'Brien, 46 Blue Lagoon Dr., Mount Hope ON L0R 1W0

1. Robert M. Janes memorial issue. Can J Surg 1969;12(1):1-154.

© 1999 Canadian Medical Association (text and abstract/résumé)