Biography & Memoir, History, BC & Yukon,

A Western Doctor’s Odyssey

From Cariboo to Kos

By (author): Eldon Lee
ISBN 9781895811216
Softcover | Publication Date: May 1, 1996
Book Dimensions: 5.5 in x 8.5 in
128 Pages
$7.95 CAD

About the Book

This is the story of Dr. Eldon Lee and his first practice in Hazelton, BC. Lee was the region’s first obstetrician, and he delivered more than 4,500 babies. In an era of corporate medicine and malpractice insurance, Lee’s story is a refreshing reminder of what doctoring is all about.

In the 1940s, Eldon left the family ranch to join the air force. He returned to ranching with brother Todd after the war only to discover needs that his rural world could not satisfy. At 25, he headed for Seattle, where the University of Washington Medical School awaited. Seattle’s King County and Vancouver’s General and Shaughnessy hospitals prepared him for his lifelong odyssey.

About the Author(s)

Born in Chico, California, Eldon Lee (1923–2018) was raised with his younger brother, Todd, on a Cariboo ranch before entering military service to become an RCAF bomber pilot. Lee studied medicine at the University of Washington Medical School, graduating in 1952. After graduation he embarked on his first stint as a rural doctor in Hazleton, BC, where he was for many years the only obstetrician and gynecologist in all of northern BC. There, he and his wife, Marjorie, raised six children. A resident of Prince George for three decades, he devoted his retirement years to recreational flying, studying Greek, and writing fiction and non-fiction. Lee received the Jeanne Clarke Memorial Local History Award for his writing, and in 2017 was inducted into the Northern Medical Hall of Fame.