Mary Adamson Anderson Marshall
Mary Adamson Anderson Marshall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Adamson Anderson January 17, 1837 Boyndie, Banffshire, Scotland |
| Died | 1910 (aged 72–73) Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Faculté de médecine de Paris |
| Occupation(s) | physician and a member of the Edinburgh Seven |
Mary Adamson Marshall (née Anderson; 1837–1910) was a physician and a member of the Edinburgh Seven, the first women to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh.[1]
Early life and education
Mary Adamson Anderson was born on 17 January 1837, in Boyndie, Banffshire, Scotland.[1][2] Her father was Reverend Alexander Govie Anderson, and her mother was Mary Gavin (née Mann).[1][3] She was one of ten children,[4] and her brother James George Skelton Anderson married physician, doctor and feminist Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.[3]
Marshall began her medical training at the University of Edinburgh, and is considered one of the Edinburgh Seven alongside Emily Bovell, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Sophia Jex-Blake, Edith Pechey and Isabel Thorne.[5][6] When in 1872 the University of Edinburgh decided that women medical students would not be awarded a degree, Anderson continued her studies in Paris, France.[7][8]
In 1879, Marshall received her medical doctorate from the Faculté de médecine de Paris, where she wrote her thesis on mitral stenosis and its higher frequency in women than in men ("Du rétrécissement mitral: sa fréquence plus grande chez la femme que chez l'homme.").[9] After receiving her doctorate, Marshall moved to Dublin to take her registration exams.[3]
Career
Marshall established a practice in London,[4] and was later a senior physician at the New Hospital for Women, Marylebone.[10]
Personal life
Marshall's husband was solicitor Claud Marshall, of Renfrewshire.[3] Her husband died after only two months of marriage, in 1871, when she was pregnant. Her son died in infancy, living for just a few days after his birth.[3][4][11]
In 1895, Marshall moved to Cannes, France, but returned to England due to ill health. Marshall died from pneumonia in 1910 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.[4]
Awards and honours
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh unveiled a plaque commemorating the Edinburgh Seven's achievements in March 2018.[12]
The University of Edinburgh allowed women to graduate in 1894 and the first doctors graduated in 1896.[13] The Edinburgh Seven were awarded the posthumous honorary MBChB at the University of Edinburgh’s McEwan Hall on Saturday 6 July 2019.[12][14][15] The degrees were collected on their behalf by a group of current students at Edinburgh Medical School.[14] The graduation was the first of a series of events planned by the University of Edinburgh to commemorate the achievements and significance of the Edinburgh Seven.[12][16]
References
- ^ a b c Elston, M. A. (2004). "Edinburgh Seven". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/61148. Retrieved 17 February 2015. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Moulinier, Pierre. "MARSHALL ANDERSON (Mary Adamson)". BIU Santé. Retrieved 18 February 2015.(in French)
- ^ a b c d e Jones, Janey (30 June 2023). The Edinburgh Seven: The Story of the First Women to Study Medicine. Pen and Sword History. ISBN 978-1-3990-9924-0.
- ^ a b c d Rayner-Canham, Marelene; Rayner-Canham, Geoff (24 February 2022). Pioneers of the London School of Medicine for Women (1874-1947): Their Contributions and Interwoven Lives. Springer Nature. p. 39. ISBN 978-3-030-95439-0.
- ^ Campbell, Olivia (15 September 2022). Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine. Swift Press. ISBN 978-1-80075-247-4.
- ^ "The Edinburgh Seven: the first female students". The Scotsman. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ Reynolds, Siân (2007). Paris-Edinburgh: Cultural Connections in the Belle Epoque. Ashgate. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-7546-3464-5.
- ^ Sparks, Dr Tabitha (28 April 2013). The Doctor in the Victorian Novel: Family Practices. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-4094-7540-8.
- ^ "Bibliothèque numérique Medic@". BIU Santé. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "The Lancet" (PDF). 31 December 1910.
- ^ Roberts, Shirley (27 September 2005). Sophia Jex-Blake: A Woman Pioneer in Nineteenth Century Medical Reform. Routledge. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-134-88267-0.
- ^ a b c "Edinburgh seven doctors to graduate after 150 years". BBC News. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Edinburgh Seven". Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, The University of Edinburgh. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ a b "The Princess Royal celebrates the 'Edinburgh Seven'". The Royal Household UK. 12 September 2019. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Summer graduations". The University of Edinburgh. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ Drysdale, Neil (5 July 2019). "UK's first female students posthumously awarded their medical degrees in Edinburgh". Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2019.