Since the first anniversary of our medical work in Toronto is drawing near, perhaps a. report is in order concerning our activities. This account is given for the purpose of expressing the great need for more doctors, and a hospital in the vicinity of this great metropolis, where apparently half the people have never heard of Seventh-day Adventists. We hope that some of the ideas that we have used may be amplified with a strong right arm so that God's work may be quickly finished in the earth.
Besides the usual duties of building a medical practice, my wife and I made a definite decision on arriving in Toronto that we would do whatever we could to help strengthen the local church and conference, using what God-given talents we possessed to the best of our ability.
Since only the occasional visiting doctor brought health messages to the church, we tried to bring the members up to date by con ducting a series of twelve weekly health lectures under the general topic "Building and Maintaining an Undefiled Temple of God."
"In order to be fitted for translation, the people of God must know themselves. They must understand in regard to their own physical frames, that they may be able with the psalmist to exclaim, I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.'"—Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 33.
On the basis that we are all striving for translation, and in harmony with the previous statement, we tried to become better acquainted with our bodies by studying one subject each week as follows:
1. Our Foundation—the Bones and Their Function
2. Our Plunging System—Blood Circulation and the Heart
3. Our Electrical System—the Brain and Nerves
4. Our Heating System—Temperatures and Thermostats
5. Our Air-conditioning System—Respiration
6. Our Sewage System—Waste Disposal
7. Our Fuel Consumption Plant—Digestive System
8 and
9. Our Fuel—Diet
What to Eat
What Not to Eat
10. Provision for Further Building—The Reproductive System
11. Our Exterior — Protection (skin, hair, nails)
12. Our Body, God's Undefiled Temple. Re view of previous lessons
In these meetings opportunity was given for general questions and answers, and an attempt was made to draw a definite line of demarcation between the healthy body that God intended and the diseased result of man's dis obedience of God's laws. The meetings were advertised, and church members brought their non-Adventist neighbors and friends. Some of these became definitely interested, and later at tended our religious meetings. They are now keeping the Sabbath in our midst. How far- reaching these contacts will be we may never know on this earth, but at least two opportunities have presented themselves for our giving a health message to public clubs in their regular sessions.
During the summer we are giving health lectures in some of the central churches in this conference, with the neighboring church members visiting. During these visits individual medical counseling is provided for those who have not had opportunity to talk over their problems with an Adventist doctor.
Of course we have the usual contacts with our patients, and from these we see results that gladden our hearts and strengthen us to press forward in our work.
One month after our arrival Dr. Gordon Arnott set up practice just north of the city, and has been active in trying to spread the right arm of the message in this conference. Dr. Donald Smith, the first Adventist doctor to set up practice in this conference, is carrying on an excellent work in Oshawa.
We are seeing encouraging results for the efforts that have been made, but with only three doctors in this conference, which covers a million square miles and has a population of eight million, we need a hospital and many more doctors and nurses to follow up the leads that have already presented themselves.
