Popularly known as Saskatchewan's Red Dean because of his progressive views and strong support of Canada's first medicare plan, J. Wendell MacLeod (1905-2001) was a charismatic pioneer in social medicine and medical education. Louis Horlick mines MacLeod's diaries, which span seventy-five years, in a vivid biography that also depicts the social and political complexities of health care in Canada in the twentieth century. MacLeod was an ardent believer in the social principles of health care. His early awareness of the economic chasm that separated rich from poor provided the focal point of his career as first dean of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan - he taught that understanding the social, economic, and political world in which people lived was critical to good medical education and practice and made it the core of the curriculum.J. Wendell MacLeod offers a revealing portrait of an early advocate of universal health care who passionately advanced his social agenda in his profession and practice. MacLeod was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1980. Series editors: J.T.H. Connor and Erika Dyck This series presents books in the history of medicine, health studies, and social policy, exploring interactions between the institutions, ideas, and practices of medicine and those of society as a whole. To begin to understand these complex relationships and their history is a vital step to ensuring the protection of a fundamental human right: the right to health. Volumes in this series have received financial support to assist publication from Associated Medical Services, Inc. (AMS), a Canadian charitable organization with an impressive history as a catalyst for change in Canadian healthcare. For eighty years, AMS has had a profound impact through its support of the history of medicine and the education of healthcare professionals, and by making strategic investments to address critical issues in our healthcare system. AMS has funded eight chairs in the history of medicine across Canada, is a primary sponsor of many of the country's history of medicine and nursing organizations, and offers fellowships and grants through the AMS History of Medicine and Healthcare Program (www.amshealthcare.ca). Louis Horlick is professor emeritus, medicine, University of Saskatchewan, and the author of Medical College to Community Resource: Saskatchewan's Medical School, 1978-1998 and They Built Better Than They Knew: Saskatchewan's Royal University Hospital, A Used Book in Good Condition