A physician and missionary recounts journeys along a harsh northern coast, describing landscape, ice and wildlife, fishing methods, and local livelihoods; he records medical and relief work among isolated fishing communities, the challenges of travel and supply, encounters with Inuit families, sealers, and dogs, and the effects of the truck system on poverty and health. Practical case histories, appeals for support, and reflections on enterprise and resilience accompany observations of natural history, nautical hazards, and the establishment of hospitals and mission stations, with appended medical statistics and testimonies.
