From the Bottom of my Heart : Experiences of a Jamaican/Canadian Doctor on Four Continents

Graphically written with some humor, From the Bottom of my Heart describes Jamaican family life and society in the early 1950s. Dr. Colin Forbes experienced racism while he attended college in the USA. The book describes student life at McGill pre-med, life as a porter on the CPR and his experiences in medical school. Dr.Forbes later had an internship at St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal, where he met and married nurse Morrison. Posted to West Germany with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Dr. Forbes was a captain in the RCAMC. Dr. Forbes and his wife had five children. This descriptive memoir tells of life in post-independent Tanganyika, then Nigeria, and service with the McGill teaching team at the new Medical School in Nairobi, Kenya. He then moved to a private pediatric practice and taught for 45 years. Dr. Forbes was actively involved in international health with the Christian Medical Commission of the World Council of Churches. He was a consultant to mission hospitals in Asia, Africa and mission boards in Europe where he experienced difficulties with traditional and local medical personnel and institutions. Dr. Forbes and his family returned to Canada after 48 years and worked in an indigenous community on Walpole Island as well as working in walk-in clinics. The final part of the book describes the challenges of re-settlement in Canada and eventually retirement.