Did You Know?

Few works of art reach the level of national consciousness like John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields.” Growing up in Canada, I, like most Canadian schoolchildren, was expected to memorize and recite only two works of national pride: O Canada, our national anthem, and “In Flanders Fields,” a poem written by a young Canadian doctor at the 1915 Battle of Ypres. Ninety years after its original publication in Punch magazine, the poem is a solemn reminder of the role of the doctor as a writer, the writer as a historian, and the historian as a teacher. Few people, however, recognize or remember that John McCrae was a doctor. McCrae graduated from the University of Toronto and received the gold medal, the highest academic honor, for his bachelor of medicine degree in 1898. In 1899, he interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital and worked closely with Dr. William Osler. McCrae left his medical studies in 1899 to serve in the South African Boer Wars, but eventually returned to Canada to study pathology at McGill University in Montréal. In his spare time as a medical student, he published several poems and short stories. He also contributed to the ten-volume textbook Osler’s Modern Medicine.1 When Canada joined World War I in August 1914, John McCrae was among the many thousands of young volunteers. He became Major to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery, and served as their physician.1 In the trenches near Ypres, Belgium—a region better known as Flanders—McCrae cared for hundreds of wounded and dying soldiers. Death permeated McCrae’s poetry even before the Great War, and the loss of a close friend at Ypres prompted McCrae to compose his tragic verse “In Flanders Fields.” He was deeply disturbed by the sights and sounds of war and captures them hauntingly and simply in his 15-line poem. The juxtaposition of the quietness of death and the horrors of life at war are delicate enough to be taught to a child, yet strong enough to speak to a nation. Writing, it appears, was his one solace. As a measure of sacrifice, McCrae chose to live in tents with the soldiers who served the front lines instead of in the officers’ huts. His health deteriorated as a result. In 1918, he died of pneumonia and meningitis.1 Before his death, McCrae had the satisfaction of knowing that his poem “In Flanders Fields” was the most popular poem of the Great War. Partly as a result of his poem’s success, the poppy became the symbol of remembrance in Canada and abroad. A lapel pin version of the flower is sold by surviving veterans and volunteers each year in November, allowing the poppy fields to recreate themselves perennially across the lapels and hearts of Canadians. The money raised is dedicated to the care of veterans, the construction of memorials, and the advancement of peace. The service of physicians and medical personnel abroad, both in wartime and in peace, continues to bring pride and strength to many nations throughout the world. Whereas some people enter the field of medicine to serve abroad, others find themselves unexpectedly in a world at conflict. This sense of responsibility and service, no matter what the cost, continues to attract young people in the health care fields to military careers, although their numbers ebb and flow. In 1914, there were 20 medical officers, five nursing sisters, and 102 noncommissioned members in the Canadian Army Medical Corps.2 In 2005, there were 156 doctors serving in the Canadian forces. Some positions were unfilled.3 Nearly a century after his death, McCrae reminds us of the impact a young doctor, representing a young country, may have both clinically and historically. It is a war that will soon only be known in written history. In 2005, there were five Canadian veterans of World War I alive. The youngest is 104 years old.4 Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Susan Mackinnon, senior communications officer for Veterans Affairs Canada, for her assistance in finding references for this work.

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