This is a really sad story.

Mary Boyd lived in Gore in the 1850’s, not far from the lake that bears her surname. She moved to Toronto to be employed as maid for a wealthy family, that of Dr Duncan Campbell (1811-1879), a practitioner of homeopathic medicine. She died tragically at the Toronto Lunatic Asylum in April of 1868. She was 19 years old.

I was made aware of her story by Angela Macleod, a Boyd Lake resident who shared with me a document entitled The Inquest of Mary Boyd held at Provincial Lunatic Asylum, Toronto, 5th and 6th May, 1868. It is 52 pages long and difficult to read. But below is a a report published in the Canada Medical Journal in July of 1868 that you can more easily read.

I soon initiated a search to know more about her and hopefully find a resume. That led me to the Irish in Canada Podcast and its Episode 6: The death of Mary Boyd. Dr. Jane McGaughey of Concordia University, its producer, has kindly given me permission to embed it in this article. You will find the link at the end of this article. It is only 23 minutes long and I am sure you will not regret listening to it.

Summarizing the events that lead to Mary’s death and created a big scandal is a challenge. Mary tried to commit suicide twice and was treated by her employer, Dr Campbell who diagnosed her condition as “religious excitement” and treated her with a kind of electroconvulsive therapy to restore her period! A treatment which he administered at home. A few days later, she was committed to the Lunatic Asylum of Toronto where she died presumably from infection due to the wounds she inflicted on herself while trying to commit suicide. It was revealed at the inquiry that her hymen was gone. Was she raped by the doctor’s son Lorne? Was she pregnant? Was the doctor performing an abortion to prevent a scandal? There is lots more to this story and its many mysteries as you will hear in the podcast.

Three things are worth mentioning here.

Homeopathy is a pseudo scientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a disease in healthy people can cure similar symptoms in sick people when very highly diluted.

Mental health care in the 19th century was characterized by a mix of ignorance, stigma, and limited treatment options. Thankfully, our understanding and approach to mental health have evolved significantly since then, but there is still much progress to be made.

The Boyd surname is quite common. The Boyd’s who settled in Gore around the 1850s came from Ireland to escape that period of starvation and disease called the Great Potato Famine.

Robert A. Boyd is probably the most illustrious member of the Boyd family in Québec. In 1972, Premier Robert Bourassa asked him to lead the Société d’Énergie de la Baie James, which had been created to develop the now famous James Bay hydroelectric project. He later became chief executive of Hydro- Québec.

I now invite you to listen to the Irish in Canada Podcast entitled The Body of Mary Boyd.