Rosemary Rue
Encyclopedia
Dame Rosemary Rue, DBE
, FRCP, FFPHM
, FRCPsych
, FRCS
(born 14 June 1928, Hutton, Essex
– died 24 December 2004, Stanton St. John
, Oxfordshire
) was a British physician and civil servant, most notable as the one-time regional general manager/medical officer of the Oxford Regional Health Authority.
She was also:
and moved with her family to London
in 1933. She was evacuated in 1940 during The Blitz
to stay with relatives in Devonshire
, where she contracted tuberculosis
and peritonitis
. It was while she was convalescing that she decided on a career in medicine, entering the all-woman Royal Free Medical School in London in 1945.
In 1950 she married Roger Rue, a pilot instructor in the Royal Air Force
. When she told the medical school dean that she was changing her name, she was told that she could not stay at the school if she was married. She was instead accepted at the University of Oxford
, qualifying in 1951 after taking the University of London
exams.
Her first job was at an extended-care hospital in Oxford. She did not tell her employers that she had a husband or a newborn son, as many hospitals then didn’t employ married women. She was eventually sacked when her employers learned she was married with children. She moved into general practice in 1952 after being offered a job in Oxford's industrial district by a general practitioner from her psychiatry course. It was there, in 1954, that she contracted polio from a patient, becoming the last person in Oxford to get it.
The disease left her with one useless leg; even with her crutches and callipers she could barely walk or carry a medical bag
. For a while she taught in a girls' school. When she went (by car) for interview for medical jobs, if she found that she could not climb the steps to the front door, she would phone and say that she had accepted another post.
In the early 1960s new money was allocated by the government to rebuild the crumbling medical system in the U.K. and Dr. Rue ensured that Oxford got a fair share. New hospitals were constructed in Swindon
, Reading
and Milton Keynes
, with basic modules that could be incorporated into every hospital. In 1960 she became assistant county medical officer for Hertfordshire
, spending an academic term at the Institute of Child Health in London.
2004, aged 76. She was survived by her two sons.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRCP, FFPHM
Faculty of Public Health
The Faculty of Public Health is the standard setting body for specialists in public health in the United Kingdom.The Faculty of Public Health was formed in 1972 by the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom .The Faculty seeks to promote public...
, FRCPsych
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
, FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
(born 14 June 1928, Hutton, Essex
Hutton, Essex
Hutton is a former country village in south Essex. Today, it acts more as a commuter suburb of Brentwood. It has good links to Central London via Shenfield train station which is just from Hutton...
– died 24 December 2004, Stanton St. John
Stanton St. John
Stanton St. John is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northeast of the centre of Oxford.-Manor:The Domesday Book records that in 1086 William the Conqueror's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux owned the manor Stanton St...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
) was a British physician and civil servant, most notable as the one-time regional general manager/medical officer of the Oxford Regional Health Authority.
She was also:
- President of the Medical Women’s Federation (1982-1983)
- President of the Faculty of Community Medicine of the Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
(1986-1989) - President of the British Medical Association (1990-1991)
- Founding Fellow of Green College, OxfordGreen College, OxfordGreen College was a graduate college of the University of Oxford in England. It was centred around an architecturally appealing 18th century building: the Radcliffe Observatory, which is modelled after the ancient "Tower of the Winds" in Athens....
- President of the BMABritish Medical AssociationThe British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
- Awarded the Edward Jenner Medal of the Royal Society of MedicineRoyal Society of MedicineThe Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
( 2001)
Background
Elsie Rosemary Laurence was born in 1928 in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and moved with her family to 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...
in 1933. She was evacuated in 1940 during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
to stay with relatives in Devonshire
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where she contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. It was while she was convalescing that she decided on a career in medicine, entering the all-woman Royal Free Medical School in London in 1945.
In 1950 she married Roger Rue, a pilot instructor in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. When she told the medical school dean that she was changing her name, she was told that she could not stay at the school if she was married. She was instead accepted at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, qualifying in 1951 after taking the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
exams.
Her first job was at an extended-care hospital in Oxford. She did not tell her employers that she had a husband or a newborn son, as many hospitals then didn’t employ married women. She was eventually sacked when her employers learned she was married with children. She moved into general practice in 1952 after being offered a job in Oxford's industrial district by a general practitioner from her psychiatry course. It was there, in 1954, that she contracted polio from a patient, becoming the last person in Oxford to get it.
The disease left her with one useless leg; even with her crutches and callipers she could barely walk or carry a medical bag
Medical bag
A medical bag is a portable bag used by a doctor or other medical professional to transport medical supplies and medicine....
. For a while she taught in a girls' school. When she went (by car) for interview for medical jobs, if she found that she could not climb the steps to the front door, she would phone and say that she had accepted another post.
In the early 1960s new money was allocated by the government to rebuild the crumbling medical system in the U.K. and Dr. Rue ensured that Oxford got a fair share. New hospitals were constructed in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, with basic modules that could be incorporated into every hospital. In 1960 she became assistant county medical officer for Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, spending an academic term at the Institute of Child Health in London.
Later positions
In 1972 she became one of the founders of the Faculty of Community Health (now the Faculty of Public Health), which brought together academic bodies such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, community health doctors, and organisations such as the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). She served as the PHLS Regional Medical Officer from 1973-84, and Regional General Manager from 1984-88.Death
She died of bowel cancer on Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
2004, aged 76. She was survived by her two sons.