Dr. Arnold Burden's career began unintentionally when he performed his first surgery in the woods following a hunting accident at age 14. As a 20-year-old hospital clerk, he handed battle casualties after D-Day in France and Germany. His early years as a doctor began in rural Prince Edward Island, where he served in the combined role of doctor and coroner. Back home in Springhill, Nova Scotia, Dr. Burden was the first medic to enter the mines after the deadly No. 4 mine explosion in 1956 and the No. 2 mine bump, the most severe bump ever recorded in North America, in 1958. In both cases he risked his life alongside the underground rescue teams to bring the gassed and trapped miners to the surface.

In this new edition Dr. Burden gives his account of an active life and of a man dedicated to his patients; a man full of common-sense and interesting stories, who writes candidly of his dealing with patients, unusual cases, and brave efforts made under difficult conditions. As the author states: "The real satisfaction in life has come from helping people."

Dr. Robert Arnold Burden was the first doctor to go underground after an explosion rocked Springhill's No. 4 mine. Born in Springhill, Dr. Burden served in the Medical Corps from 1941 to 1945, then obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University. After practising in Prince Edward Island, he returned to Springhill in 1957, where he was chief of staff at All Saints Hospital and served on numerous medical boards and committees.

Dr Arnold Burden's profile page

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