A Visit With Dr. Bartlett

Dr. Bartlett was a physician at the Favourable Lake Mine from 1942 to 1949. As a mining physician he treated people who worked at the mine as well as Native people in the surrounding area.

Dr. Bartlett entered medical school at the age of 17 and started practicing medicine at the age of 24. During his practice at the Favourable Lake Mine, he developed a cannulated intravenous needle to administer medicine which is now used by healthcare professionals worldwide.

At the time of his residency at the Favourable Lake Mine, Dr. Bartlett says the major illness among Native people was tuberculosis (TB).

While in the North, Dr. Bartlett had to travel in small planes. He says this made him quite ill with nausea. To alleviate the sickness, he would lie on the floor of the plane during the flight. He would then "crawl and stagger" off the plane and have to rest for an hour afterwards until he felt better.

Dr. Bartlett's advice to the people of Sandy Lake for a healthy lifestyle is to stay active through physical activities like hockey and other forms of exercise.

Currently, at the age of 97 Dr. Bartlett still practices medicine and performs surgeries in Winnipeg. He exercises for one hour each morning.