Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead
Encyclopedia
Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead (born 6 April, 1867, Danville
, Quebec
, Canada
– died, 1 January, 1941, Haddam
, Connecticut
, USA) was a pioneering feminist and obstetrician who promoted the role of women in medicine. She wrote A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century in 1938.
, where she attended public schools. She decided to study medicine out of respect for her father's career as a doctor, and on the advice of the well-respected physician, Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi
. She became a student at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1885, where in 1888 she graduated as an M.D. She became an intern at the New England Hospital for Women and Children
in Boston where she studied with Dr. Marie Zakrzewska
. She did post-doctoral work in Paris
, Stockholm
, and London
.
On her return to America in 1890 she became the medical director for the Bryn Mawr
School for Girls in Baltimore where she instituted the school's innovative preventive health program, which included physical education and periodic medical examinations. Together with Dr. Alice Hall she founded the Evening Dispensary for Working Women and Girls of Baltimore City, the first institution in Baltimore to employ women physicians. She was a strong proponent of the then new maternal hygiene and infant welfare models.
In 1893, Dr. Hurd married William Edward Mead, Ph.D., who was professor of early English
at Wesleyan University
and they moved to Middletown, Connecticut
to be close to his university.
Hurd-Mead was one of the original founders and the consulting gynecologist at the Middlesex County Hospital in Connecticut from 1907 until her retirement in 1925.
She also helped to organize the Middletown District Nurses Association (1900), was vice president of the State Medical Society of Connecticut (1913-1914), president of the American Medical Women's Association
, and organizer of the Medical Women's International Association (1919).
At a meeting of the Johns Hopkins Historical Club in 1890 she had become interested in the history of women physicians. She conducted extensive research and published Medical Women of America (1933) and in 1938 the first comprehensive history of women's role in medicine, A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century.
She argued strongly for the real existence of Trotula, the Sicilian woman physician of the Middle Ages, who some historians had tried to argue was not a real person but a name for a collection of works.
Dr. Hurd-Mead died at the age of 73 in a bushfire near her home while trying to assist her caretaker who also died in the fire.
Danville, Quebec
Danville is a town in the administrative region of Estrie, in the Canadian province of Quebec. As of the 2006 Canadian Census, the population was 4,041....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
– died, 1 January, 1941, Haddam
Haddam, Connecticut
Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,157 at the 2000 census. The town was also home to the now decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Reactor.-Geography:...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA) was a pioneering feminist and obstetrician who promoted the role of women in medicine. She wrote A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century in 1938.
Life
Hurd-Mead was the eldest of three children born to Edward Payson Hurd, a practicing physician, and Sarah Elizabeth (Campbell) Hurd. In 1870, the family moved to Newburyport, MassachusettsNewburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, where she attended public schools. She decided to study medicine out of respect for her father's career as a doctor, and on the advice of the well-respected physician, Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi
Mary Corinna Putnam Jacobi
Mary Corinna Putnam was an American physician, writer, and suffragist who was the first woman to become a member of the Faculté de Médecine de Paris.-Biography:...
. She became a student at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1885, where in 1888 she graduated as an M.D. She became an intern at the New England Hospital for Women and Children
New England Hospital for Women and Children
New England Hospital for Women and Children was opened in Boston, Massachusetts on July 1, 1862 by Dr. Marie Zakrzewska and Ednah Dow Cheney. The Hospital remained dedicated to women and children until the 1950s when it became financially deficient and after recommendations from the United...
in Boston where she studied with Dr. Marie Zakrzewska
Maria Zakrzewska
Maria Elizabeth Zakrzewska was a German-born physician of Polish descent who made her name as a pioneering female doctor in the United States....
. She did post-doctoral work in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
On her return to America in 1890 she became the medical director for the Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...
School for Girls in Baltimore where she instituted the school's innovative preventive health program, which included physical education and periodic medical examinations. Together with Dr. Alice Hall she founded the Evening Dispensary for Working Women and Girls of Baltimore City, the first institution in Baltimore to employ women physicians. She was a strong proponent of the then new maternal hygiene and infant welfare models.
In 1893, Dr. Hurd married William Edward Mead, Ph.D., who was professor of early English
History of the English language
English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the...
at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
and they moved to Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
to be close to his university.
Hurd-Mead was one of the original founders and the consulting gynecologist at the Middlesex County Hospital in Connecticut from 1907 until her retirement in 1925.
She also helped to organize the Middletown District Nurses Association (1900), was vice president of the State Medical Society of Connecticut (1913-1914), president of the American Medical Women's Association
American Medical Women's Association
The American Medical Women's Association is a professional advocacy and educational organization of women physicians and medical students. Founded in 1915 by Bertha VanHoosen, the AMWA works to advance women in medicine and to serve as a voice for women's health...
, and organizer of the Medical Women's International Association (1919).
At a meeting of the Johns Hopkins Historical Club in 1890 she had become interested in the history of women physicians. She conducted extensive research and published Medical Women of America (1933) and in 1938 the first comprehensive history of women's role in medicine, A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century.
She argued strongly for the real existence of Trotula, the Sicilian woman physician of the Middle Ages, who some historians had tried to argue was not a real person but a name for a collection of works.
Dr. Hurd-Mead died at the age of 73 in a bushfire near her home while trying to assist her caretaker who also died in the fire.