The doctor's bag in 1911.

E100 CMAJ, January 10, 2012, 184(1) © 2012 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors When students asked the celebrated Sir William Osler about the role of the physician of the day, he is quoted as saying “diagnosis, diagnosis and diagnosis.” Consistent with this, 80% of the 67 original articles in Volume 1 of the Canadian Medical Association Journal related to the description and diagnosis of a range of clinical problems. The 19th century had seen remarkable advances in the tools to aid the physician to achieve a correct diagnosis. Since much of patient care continued to be provided in the home, the physician required a means to carry these instruments to the patient. This need was met with the development of the physician’s black bag, which became the principle symbol of the physician in the community during this period. Doctors making house calls needed a reliable bag specially fitted with compartments to carry an increasing number of instruments and drugs. A wide range of leather doctor’s bags evolved from earlier wooden and leather chests and pocket cases. The black leather doctor’s bag shown here is scuffed, reflecting many years of use by two generations of family physicians, in a small town in Eastern Ontario, who also served a large rural region from before the first war to the middle of the 20th century. These physicians were constantly travelling throughout the region to see patients in their home. This was an era when life expectancy was still short of the order of 50 years because of the constant presence of infectious disease and tuberculosis Their bag is a club style with brass levered closures. The bag body is steel framed with five chrome feet. The interior is lined with vinyl. The one side has 100 Years