A Ray of Hope? The Institut du Radium de Montréal Against Cancer

A Ray of Hope? The Institut du Radium de Montréal Against Cancer

An exhibition by the Atelier d’histoire Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, developed with the support of the MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises

In 1922, the founding of the Institut du radium de Montréal was greeted with huge enthusiasm. As Quebec’s first university research centre, the Institut was a sign the province had joined the great march of Western scientific progress. At the time, radium was seen as a crucial discovery that would revolutionize the future. In medicine, it was hoped that radium would lead to the development of an effective treatment for the terrible disease of cancer. Unfortunately, the Institut du radium failed to live up to its initial promises and, in 1967, quietly closed its doors. To present this history in a dynamic way, we have decided to borrow the codes of tragedy. The exhibition is thus divided into three acts. A chorus comments on the unfolding story, guiding you from one section to the next. Throughout the exhibition, you will find imagined dialogues, created from archival material.