Fonds MS-13-63 - Harold Benge Atlee fonds

Harold Bengee Atlee was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1890, received his early education in Annapolis Royal, and graduated from Dalhousie Medical School in 1911 at the age of 21, the youngest graduate in the school's history.

He spent a year in general practice followed by post-graduate studies in England. In 1914 he enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry. He returned to England to complete his studies and became a fellow by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He returned to Halifax in 1921 and, despite opposition from his colleagues, was appointed both professor and chair of the first combined Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Dalhousie and Chief of Service at Victoria General Hospital. These appointments of a young and relatively inexperienced physician surprised the medical community. However, Atlee had the support of Dr. John Stewart, Dean of Medicine, and remained at Dalhousie until his retirement in 1958.

An active member of many professional associations, Dr. Atlee was a president of the Nova Scotia Medical Society, the Canadian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the Halifax Medical Society. He was named Honorary President of the Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association in 1968. He died in 1978.