IWD - 2020
To celebrate International Women's Day 2020, our volunteer Olivia has been doing some fantastic research uncovering the hidden history of our Medical Women's Federation autograph book currently on display at Tolson Museum. Here's what she's found so far:
This book is dated 29th May 1920, and features the signatures of members of the Medical Women’s Federation in a letter to Dr Jane Walker upon her retiring from the presidency of the organisation. This object tells us the names of many prominent female doctors of the time period, which can then be followed by important context:
Dr Jane Harriet Walker was a physician and specialist in the open-air treatment of tuberculosis.
She was born on 24 October 1859 at Canal Cottage, Dewsbury, Yorkshire. She was the eldest daughter, one of eight children, three boys and five girls, of John Walker, then a wool merchant, later a prosperous local blanket manufacturer, and his wife, Dorothy Ann, née Clay, also of Dewsbury. Little is known about Walker's early years, except that she was educated at a school in Southport and at the Yorkshire College of Science (established 1874). Defying the conventions of the day, but with the encouragement of her father, she decided upon a career as a doctor and in 1879 enrolled as a student at the London School of Medicine for Women (established in 1877).
The course of her career changed dramatically in 1892 when a young friend fell victim to tuberculosis. The tubercle bacillus, causal agent of the disease, had been discovered in 1882 by the German bacteriologist Robert Koch, though there was as yet no effective treatment for this highly infectious disease. While many doctors in Britain advocated that sufferers be kept in a warm stuffy atmosphere, there were those elsewhere who believed that fresh air was an important factor in effecting a cure. Seeking further knowledge Jane Walker visited the sanatorium opened by Otto Walther in 1888 at Nordrach, Germany, to study his use of the open-air method of treating tubercular patients. So convinced was she by its merits that she returned to England determined to introduce a similar programme into the country. She then did this to great success and acclaim.
She was a founder member in 1917 and first president of the Medical Women's Federation, established to represent the views of medical women, and was one of the first women on the Royal Society of Medicine Council.
Her outspoken nature often brought her into conflict with others—she had a quick temper, but was broad-minded, shrewd, determined, and a firm supporter of women's rights. Renowned for her hospitality, guests at her dinner parties were wined and dined in style, and entertained by her knowledgeable discussions on religion, to which she was deeply committed, as well as music, art, and politics.
Walker was ultimately devoted to her work, and to ensuring a brighter future both for her patients and for the female doctors that would come after her.
The Medical Women's Federation was built upon the Association of Registered Medical Women, which had been founded in London in 1879 with the intention that it would 'speak on behalf of all medical women and represent their interests.' Nine members comprised the original association, though other provincial associations and members rapidly followed as more women became qualified in medicine. Representatives of these associations came together in 1916 to discuss the benefits of establishing a Federation. This meeting was in part stimulated by the Government's dismissive attitude towards women doctors who wished to serve in the First World War.
The newly formed Federation launched a campaign to promote the role of women in the armed forces, arguing that women medics should be given commissions in order to maintain discipline in military hospitals. The Federation collected testimonies and excellent records, but despite their petitioning and campaigning the War Office remained reluctant to grant women equal status.
In the 1920s, the Federation was concerned about the number of organisations which restricted access to women, including medical schools, local authorities and other employers. Several medical schools had reverted to refusing women access, and many organisations had marriage bars. An early campaign of the Federation included a 1918 protest against London County Council's decision to return to a pre-war refusal to employ married women. A standing committee on Married Medical Women followed in 1921. By the 1930s, Stepney and the city of York had appointed women Medical Officers of Health.
A particularly notable member of the Federation who signed the letter to Dr Walker was Louisa Aldrich Blake, who later became a Dame posthumously. She was a pioneering surgeon and one of the first British women to enter the world of modern medicine. Louisa Aldrich-Blake graduated in medicine from the Royal Free Hospital in 1893. She obtained her Master of Surgery degree and was a lead surgeon by 1910. Louisa volunteered for military medical service during the First World War. She was one of the first people to perform surgery on rectal and cervical cancers. In recognition of her commitment and achievements a statue was erected in Tavistock Square, London.
During the First World War, many of the male surgical staff were deployed on foreign active service and Dr. Aldrich-Blake took on increased responsibility for the surgery, becoming consulting surgeon to the hospital. Aldrich-Blake spent multiple holidays aiding the military hospitals in 1914 to 1916, specifically in France with Dr Frances Ivens from the Anglo-French Red Cross Hospital and helped out as a visiting surgeon at the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Hospital. Aldrich-Blake was nicknamed "Madame la Générale" by her patients. Her time was also spent contacting other women in the profession to organise volunteer units. She approached every woman on the Medical Register to ask if they would consider volunteering for the Royal Army Medical Corps, and 48 enrolled, many of whom were sent to Malta.
This book is dated 29th May 1920, and features the signatures of members of the Medical Women’s Federation in a letter to Dr Jane Walker upon her retiring from the presidency of the organisation. This object tells us the names of many prominent female doctors of the time period, which can then be followed by important context:
Dr Jane Harriet Walker was a physician and specialist in the open-air treatment of tuberculosis.
She was born on 24 October 1859 at Canal Cottage, Dewsbury, Yorkshire. She was the eldest daughter, one of eight children, three boys and five girls, of John Walker, then a wool merchant, later a prosperous local blanket manufacturer, and his wife, Dorothy Ann, née Clay, also of Dewsbury. Little is known about Walker's early years, except that she was educated at a school in Southport and at the Yorkshire College of Science (established 1874). Defying the conventions of the day, but with the encouragement of her father, she decided upon a career as a doctor and in 1879 enrolled as a student at the London School of Medicine for Women (established in 1877).
The course of her career changed dramatically in 1892 when a young friend fell victim to tuberculosis. The tubercle bacillus, causal agent of the disease, had been discovered in 1882 by the German bacteriologist Robert Koch, though there was as yet no effective treatment for this highly infectious disease. While many doctors in Britain advocated that sufferers be kept in a warm stuffy atmosphere, there were those elsewhere who believed that fresh air was an important factor in effecting a cure. Seeking further knowledge Jane Walker visited the sanatorium opened by Otto Walther in 1888 at Nordrach, Germany, to study his use of the open-air method of treating tubercular patients. So convinced was she by its merits that she returned to England determined to introduce a similar programme into the country. She then did this to great success and acclaim.
She was a founder member in 1917 and first president of the Medical Women's Federation, established to represent the views of medical women, and was one of the first women on the Royal Society of Medicine Council.
Her outspoken nature often brought her into conflict with others—she had a quick temper, but was broad-minded, shrewd, determined, and a firm supporter of women's rights. Renowned for her hospitality, guests at her dinner parties were wined and dined in style, and entertained by her knowledgeable discussions on religion, to which she was deeply committed, as well as music, art, and politics.
Walker was ultimately devoted to her work, and to ensuring a brighter future both for her patients and for the female doctors that would come after her.
The Medical Women's Federation was built upon the Association of Registered Medical Women, which had been founded in London in 1879 with the intention that it would 'speak on behalf of all medical women and represent their interests.' Nine members comprised the original association, though other provincial associations and members rapidly followed as more women became qualified in medicine. Representatives of these associations came together in 1916 to discuss the benefits of establishing a Federation. This meeting was in part stimulated by the Government's dismissive attitude towards women doctors who wished to serve in the First World War.
The newly formed Federation launched a campaign to promote the role of women in the armed forces, arguing that women medics should be given commissions in order to maintain discipline in military hospitals. The Federation collected testimonies and excellent records, but despite their petitioning and campaigning the War Office remained reluctant to grant women equal status.
In the 1920s, the Federation was concerned about the number of organisations which restricted access to women, including medical schools, local authorities and other employers. Several medical schools had reverted to refusing women access, and many organisations had marriage bars. An early campaign of the Federation included a 1918 protest against London County Council's decision to return to a pre-war refusal to employ married women. A standing committee on Married Medical Women followed in 1921. By the 1930s, Stepney and the city of York had appointed women Medical Officers of Health.
A particularly notable member of the Federation who signed the letter to Dr Walker was Louisa Aldrich Blake, who later became a Dame posthumously. She was a pioneering surgeon and one of the first British women to enter the world of modern medicine. Louisa Aldrich-Blake graduated in medicine from the Royal Free Hospital in 1893. She obtained her Master of Surgery degree and was a lead surgeon by 1910. Louisa volunteered for military medical service during the First World War. She was one of the first people to perform surgery on rectal and cervical cancers. In recognition of her commitment and achievements a statue was erected in Tavistock Square, London.
One of the signatories of this book was Emily C Thomson, who was one of 101 women doctors in Britain at the time, and set up first at 93 Nethergate and then at 4 Tay Square, where a plaque is situated on a newer building on the same spot – still a medical practice. Emily was Dundee’s first woman driver, and helped found a Women’s Hospital.
Dr Emily eventually moved to 22 Windsor Street, where she remained in practice until she retired in 1922. She moved to her house in Arbirlot where she lived with a friend, collecting art and antiques until she died aged 91.
Another was Mary “May” Thorne, who was the daughter of another prominent female doctor, Isabel Thorne. Thorne was born in China in 1861. Her mother was one of the famous pioneers who fought the early battles for the recognition of women in medicine and who helped to found the London School of Medicine for Women, becoming its first secretary in 1874. Isabel Thorne was one of the feminist Edinburgh Seven, who campaigned and succeeded in securing the right by statute for women to be educated to qualify as doctors. It was to help her mother in her work that May Thorne decided to qualify as a doctor. With characteristic thoroughness, she felt that she would be best able to understand the problems of a medical student if she had been one herself. Although already over 30 years old, she enrolled at the London School of Medicine for Women and qualified as a licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) in 1895. However, she had to travel to Brussels for her MD and then to Dublin for her FRCS, as the Royal Colleges of England had not yet opened their doors to women. In 1908, she followed her mother as honorary secretary of the London School of Medicine for Women.
From 1898 to the outbreak of the First World War, Thorne was in practice at 10 Nottingham Place, London, and later in Harley Street. One of her patients was Florence Nightingale, whom she looked after during the closing years of Nightingale’s life.
Dr Emily eventually moved to 22 Windsor Street, where she remained in practice until she retired in 1922. She moved to her house in Arbirlot where she lived with a friend, collecting art and antiques until she died aged 91.
A notable but comparatively less famous female doctor who also contributed her signature to this book was Laura Veale. She was very important to the history of women doctors in Yorkshire, however, and was described as a pioneer. She set up a practice in Harrogate in 1904 and made history as the first female doctor in all of Yorkshire. In 2017, Veale was commemorated by the Harrogate Medical Society and the Harrogate Civic Society by a plaque, considered a long overdue recognition for her achievements in fighting against strong opposition to female doctors. She was described in her obituary in 1963 as having a considerable influence on life in Harrogate and beyond that in Yorkshire. Dr. Veale came of a well-known medical family associated in particular with the Leeds school of medicine. However, the medical school in Leeds shut its doors to her, and she had to go to the University of London to pursue her studies, passing the London MB in 1904. She soon returned to Harrogate, where she began practising and eventually obtained a position on the medical staff of Harrogate Infirmary, there starting a department for women and children. She also opened a maternity ward in the hospital after the First World War. She was a founder member of the Yorkshire Council for Cripples, and among many other activities during the Second World War, she organised the Women's Voluntary Service for Harrogate.
Bibliography
Hall, Lesley A. "Our History". Medical Women's Federation.
“Women in medicine: Wendy Reid and Louisa Aldrich-Blake". RCP London. Royal College of Physicians. 3 October 2017.
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