The Mysteries of Montreal: Being Recollections of a Female Physician

In the bustling streets of late‑19th‑century Montreal, a seasoned physician reflects on three decades of practice, recalling the strange and sometimes scandalous encounters that shocked even the city’s most conservative residents. She writes with a storyteller’s flair, turning ordinary consultations into vivid snapshots of a world where medicine, morality, and society often collided. Listeners are invited to hear her candid warnings about the small missteps that can spiral into lasting regret.

The narrative begins far from Canada, tracing her childhood as the daughter of a Hanoverian officer and her improbable marriage to a well‑meaning but directionless German gentleman. Their failed venture in New York and the ensuing financial strain push her to defy convention, choosing a medical career at a time when female doctors were a rarity. Determined to improve women’s care and challenge the intrusive practice of male midwifery, she earns a diploma in Hamburg and prepares to bring her knowledge back to her new home.