By Shannon Butler
In previous blog entries we have discussed several female doctors that have lived, worked, and studied here in Poughkeepsie. It stands to reason that since we are home to one of the first female colleges in the country, this city would naturally be a more attractive place to do business. Some of these women came to Poughkeepsie to work for Vassar College, while others joined together and set up practices of their own. Some would serve in the military as doctors and see action overseas, but no matter what path they took, they all paved a future for women in medicine.
The first mention that we see in the directories of a practicing female physician is for Dr. Marie E. Luckey West who worked here from 1862 until sometime in the 1870s. She appears on the 1870 Poughkeepsie census with the occupation of “Doctress.” Perhaps one of the first female physicians to come to Poughkeepsie from elsewhere was Dr. Alida Avery who was hired to serve as the campus physician, as well as a professor of physiology and hygiene. She was remembered by her students as being somewhat stern; however, as a woman, it was incredibly challenging to be taken seriously as a practicing physician in the 1850s and 60s. Dr. Avery had tried to set up her own office in Brooklyn and found that only her friends would allow her to examine them. She was hired by Matthew Vassar in 1865 to serve as the college’s physician and was originally paid less than the male professors, which she and other female professors successfully protested. She remained until 1874 when she was replaced by Dr. Helen Worthing Webster (who we have mentioned in a previous blog post) but it was said that no student died at Vassar while Dr. Avery was in residence.
In 1868 another physician made her way into Poughkeepsie and set up a practice in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Anna C. Howland began studying medicine, along with her husband, when he was diagnosed with consumption, known today as tuberculosis. Both husband and wife had served as teachers at the Nine Partners School and had become fascinated with understanding the disease that would eventually kill Mr. Howland. After her husband’s death, Dr. Howland set up her practice on Liberty Street and was one of the founding members of the Homeopathic Medical Society of Dutchess County. She was known for her compassion and smile, and when she died in 1905, her obituary stated that she had been the longest serving physician in Poughkeepsie, having worked here for 37 years.
Two women decided to team up and work together in a practice in 1875, Dr. Elizabeth Gerow and Dr. Eliza M. Mosher. They appear to have worked from their place of residence at 90 Market Street for a bit before moving on to other endeavors. Dr. Gerow would serve from time to time as the attending physician at St. Barnabas Hospital, while Dr. Mosher went on to have a successful career in teaching, as a professor, first at Wellesley, and then back to Poughkeepsie at Vassar. Mosher later served as the first Dean of Women and the first woman professor to be recognized at the University of Michigan.
Another pair of doctors who chose to work and live together were Doctors Barbara B. Stimson and Achsa Bean. Both of these women had served as majors with the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II, before coming back to the states to settle in Poughkeepsie and practice medicine. Dr. Stimson was the first female president of the Dutchess County Medical Society in 1959, and she served as attending surgeon at St. Francis Hospital. Dr. Bean served as the physician and professor of health and hygiene at Vassar College for over 20 years. They both retired in 1963 and moved to Maine.
There are so many more stories to tell and so many interesting women who worked in the field of medicine right here in Poughkeepsie! Sounds like we have another program to create. Stay tuned!
References:
Sympathy and Science: Women Physicians in American Medicine By Regina Morantz-Sanchez https://books.google.com/books?id=K1DqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA145#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/faculty/original-faculty/alida-avery/
Poughkeepsie City Directories - 1868 - 1910
1870 census
Poughkeepsie Journal/Eagle News - Oct 27 1868, Feb 20 1876, Sep 20 1878, May 17 1963
Images:
DrWest-ad-Oct-27-1868 - Advertisement for Dr. West’s practice in Poughkeepsie from the Poughkeepsie Eagle 1868.
Dr.AnnaHowland - Photo of Dr. Anna C. Howland at the Vail Brother’s Photography studio 1874
DrBarbaraStimson - Drawing of Dr. Barbara Stimson as a Major during WWII.