George Spence: Surgeon and Servant of the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1738–41

At the beginning of his medical career, George Spence signed a contract with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) as surgeon for the Fort Albany fur trading post located on James Bay in British North America. During his first three years (1738-41), Spence encountered formidable personal and professional challenges which can be partially reconstructed through examination of surgeon's journal for 1740-41. By unique good fortune, two other corroborating journals exist for Albany from the same year: the journal of another HBC servant and the regular post journal. Spence's is the only surgeon's journal in the HBC archives prior to 1846 and one of very few such journals from any period of the company's history. This paper examines everyday medical practice in one fur trading context from the perspective of HBC employees and the recipients of medical care. George Spence's significance lies partially in the ordinary nature of his practice in contrast to heroic historical accounts, and partially in his contribution toward knowledge of an earlier context in medical history than has been previously analyzed. I have drawn on concepts from labour and professionalization history to analyze the seemingly contradictory position of the surgeon as both an autonomous professional and a servant in relation to the HBC. While Spence successfully fulfilled his role as surgeon, he struggled to meet expectations as a servant of the company. His struggle was partially based on emerging professional ideologies, and partially based on changing labour relationships within a pre-industrial society.