Rachel Bodley
Encyclopedia
Rachel Littler Bodley was dean of the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania from 1874-1888.
Bodley was the eldest daughter of a Presbyterian carpenter and teacher and attended the school run by her mother. In 1884 she attended the Wesleyan Female College of Cincinnati and graduated at age 17 in 1849. After serving as an assistant teacher at Wesleyan, in 1860 she studied chemistry
and physics
at the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania
and anatomy
and physiology
at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.
In 1862, she became a professor of natural sciences at the Cincinnati Female Seminary. There she took on the organization of the herbarium
donated to the Seminary by the heirs of Joseph Clark (1823-1858). It was an extensive collection of local flora and the guide Bodley compiled to the collection, printed in 1865, also served as a guide to plants in the Cincinnati area.
After three years, she left for the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she would spend the rest of her career. At her appointment in 1865 as chair of chemistry and toxicology
, she was the first woman to become a professor of chemistry at a medical school. In 1874 she was elected Dean of the Faculty and would serve in that position until her death. During her tenure she presided over the construction of the school's first new building and conducted a statistical study of the school's graduates, said to be the first such factual study of women in the medical profession. She also presided over the graduation of the first Hindu
woman to obtain a degree in Western medicine, Anandi Gopal Joshi
. The event was witnessed by Pandita Ramabai
and she was congratulated by Queen Victoria. Bodley would later write an introduction to Pandita Ramabai's book The High-Caste Hindu Woman (1887).
Bodley was the eldest daughter of a Presbyterian carpenter and teacher and attended the school run by her mother. In 1884 she attended the Wesleyan Female College of Cincinnati and graduated at age 17 in 1849. After serving as an assistant teacher at Wesleyan, in 1860 she studied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania
Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania
Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania was a school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded in 1853. It was the eighth school of engineering in the United States and the first to offer degree programs in mechanical engineering, mining engineering, and architecture. It was founded by Dr. Alfred L...
and anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.
In 1862, she became a professor of natural sciences at the Cincinnati Female Seminary. There she took on the organization of the herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
donated to the Seminary by the heirs of Joseph Clark (1823-1858). It was an extensive collection of local flora and the guide Bodley compiled to the collection, printed in 1865, also served as a guide to plants in the Cincinnati area.
After three years, she left for the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she would spend the rest of her career. At her appointment in 1865 as chair of chemistry and toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
, she was the first woman to become a professor of chemistry at a medical school. In 1874 she was elected Dean of the Faculty and would serve in that position until her death. During her tenure she presided over the construction of the school's first new building and conducted a statistical study of the school's graduates, said to be the first such factual study of women in the medical profession. She also presided over the graduation of the first Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
woman to obtain a degree in Western medicine, Anandi Gopal Joshi
Anandi Gopal Joshi
Anandi Gopal Joshi A was one of the two first Indian women to obtain a medical degree through training in Western medicine...
. The event was witnessed by Pandita Ramabai
Pandita Ramabai
Pandita Ramabai was a social reformer and activist. She was born as Hindu, started Arya Mahila Samaj and later converted to Christianity to serve widows and helpless women of India....
and she was congratulated by Queen Victoria. Bodley would later write an introduction to Pandita Ramabai's book The High-Caste Hindu Woman (1887).
External links
- Catalogue of plants contained in herbarium of Joseph Clark at Google Books
- Rachel L. Bodley papers, held at The Legacy Center, Drexel University College of Medicine - Guide to the Rachel L. Bodley papers
- Digitized primary documents from the Rachel L. Bodley papers, held at The Legacy Center, Drexel University College of Medicine