Neville Terry traces the history of the hospital from its founding by Lord Strathcona (Donald Smith) and Lord Mount Stephen (George Stephen) to its present position as a world-renowned health care and research facility. Focusing on the people whose efforts contributed to the Royal Vic's success - physicians, surgeons, nurses, administrators, support staff, researchers, and volunteers - the author recounts their trials and triumphs in bringing about medical, social, and fiscal change in the health care field. The final chapter documents the Royal Vic's achievements in medical research. Health care in Canada has undergone incredible change in the last century, with tremendous advances in medical knowledge and the implementation of government-funded health care. The Royal Vic provides a fascinating overview of this eventful era.