For more than 100 years after our ancestors set foot in our beautiful Pontiac County forestry was our biggest industry. Tall pines were cut down and squared by hand, formed into cribs and floated down river to be loaded onto ships and exported to Europe. Later, wood was made into lumber, cedar shingles and manufactured into paper.
Cutting, transporting and processing our forests provided thousands of jobs. Hundreds more jobs were provided selling and maintaining forestry equipment.
Our forestry industry was decimated when a bad trade deal was inked a couple of decades ago. Then the construction industry began using steel two by fours and we may never see our forestry industry return to its former grandeur.
When our forest industry shrank to a shadow of its former self, agriculture – which was Pontiac’s second largest industry – became the biggest exporter of produce.
Even though the number of farms has decreased from thousands to less than 300, increases in efficiency have allowed farm exports from our county to actually grow. Every year there are hundreds of continuing education programs teaching farmers how to be better and more efficient.
Over several generations, our healthcare industry has become our county’s largest employer. This has happened so gradually that many of us have not even noticed. It has grown to its present size because we have demanded it.
When I was first told this, it took me several days to think about it and add up all the great health services that we take for granted.
We first think of our doctor. We used to have two in town when I was a kid and now we have 20. Now add up the nurses, dentists, dental assistants, medical secretaries, CLSC workers, administration staff and many more that you can add to this ever growing list!
When the white man first arrived to our continent in little wooden ships, our ancestors were met by native inhabitants who shepherded them through the first few years and unexpected severely cold winters. The Indigenous tribes had their own medicine man who used extracts from native plants and trees to help cure some wounds and ailments. The medicine man also worked on the spirit of the patient or in the patient, which is today called psychology and mental health.
Asian doctors have used acupuncture and different diets to treat patients for thousands of years while the treatments that we are more accustomed to use many more drugs. I often wonder; who did the research on this?
When I was a kid, we had one little drugstore in town that sold more greeting cards, newspapers and ice cream cones than drugs. The heavy drugs were only dispersed by one of our two doctors and only after a thorough examination.
The little drug store sold more Absorbine Jr. than any other medical item. The old farmers usually bought Absorbine Sr. because it worked on horses as well as humans. The local drug store also sold mastitis drugs for dairy cattle, Bag Balm which the farmer rubbed on sunburned udders and teats that were chapped with the cold. It was later made famous because it was reported that Shania Twain used it as hair conditioner to give more body to her hair.
I often wonder why we need so much more medical care than our parents or grandparents did? It seems like most research is carried out to find a cure that can be sold for a profit and very little time or money spent on finding causes of medical problems.
Is it the food we eat? Is it the technology that surrounds us like Wi-Fi, cell phones, nuclear power plants, communication towers, unnecessary stress in our lives, chemicals and chemical residues that are in most items in our homes and even in many foods that we eat? Why do we never hear of a symposium aimed at reducing health problems that require expensive care and treatments?
Let’s not complain about the increased tax dollars spent on health services that we demand. Let’s start to ask questions about why our health has gradually deteriorated.
Many of our grandparents died before age 70 but they did chores and worked from age five until they died. Spring is close. Enjoy the longer days and a chance to breathe fresh air!
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon
on land that has been in
his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
