Dr. Kenneth Smith to Ivan Sabourin on Monthly Meetings with Dr. Cartier (1947)

A one-page letter of March 31, 1947, from Dr. K. W. Smith at the hospital in Asbestos, Quebec, to Ivan Sabourin, K.C., of St. Johns, Quebec, about Sabourin's suggestion of a "monthly report." Smith had learned from Dr. Paul Cartier of Thetford Mines that it meant a report on tuberculosis found in the clinic. He and Cartier would use the same form, probably the one Cartier already used, and would meet at least once a month, "alternating here and in Thetford, to discuss problems and review films. Thus there will be more uniformity of procedure and results in the two clinics."

What it shows

Smith ran Canadian Johns-Manville's medical work at its mine at Asbestos; Cartier was the doctor for the mining companies at Thetford Mines. Sabourin, a lawyer, was active for the Quebec asbestos producers (he appears on the 1947 Saranac Symposium list for the Quebec Asbestos Producers Association). The letter shows the two mining districts' company doctors agreeing to read X-ray films together and report in the same way. The report discussed here was about tuberculosis; the letter does not mention asbestosis.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

In a letter to Ivan Sabourin dated 3/31/47, Dr. K. Smith states that he and Dr. Cartier plan to meet at least once a month to discuss problems and review films. "Thus there will be uniformity of procedure and results in the two clinics."