In memoriam: Marian Hill

Dr. Marian E. Hill, who was a full time neurologist at Toronto General Hospital from 1965 to 1986, died on November 4, 2020 in Calgary where she had retired.

Marian was born in Canora, Saskatchewan and graduated as RN and MD with distincition in Saskatoon in 1958. She came to Toronto in 1963 to complete neurology training under Dr. J.C. Richardson after extensive training in internal medicine, neuropathology and neurology at Calgary, Iowa, Queen Square and Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge.

She was recruited in 1965 by Dr. Richardson to Toronto General Hospital and became an outstanding consultant and teacher. In her earlier years, she introduced levo-dopa therapy for Parkinson’s disease in Toronto through the initial clinical trials.

With Henry Barnett and William Lougheed, she published one of the early studies of dementia in communicating hydrocephalus and she was a participant in the Canadian Cooperative Study Group of aspirin and sulfinpyrazone in threatened stroke.

Her major contribution was as clinical-teacher and mentor while perennial Ward Chief on one of the internal medicine wards, receiving top ratings from residents and students. Following a major revision of the undergraduate curriculum to a systems-based block format, she was appointed coordinator for basic and clinical neurosciences.

Outside neurology Marian had many interests of which extensive world travel both before and after retirement was preeminent.