Maude Abbott

Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott ( born March 18, 1869 in (St. Andrews East Quebec), † September 2, 1940 in Montreal) was a Canadian physician. She was among the first women who worked in Canada, the completion of a medical school was successful, and gained international recognition as an expert on congenital heart defects.

Life

Maude Abbott, whose baptismal name Maude Elizabeth Seymour Babin was already lost her mother as a little girl. In addition, abandoned by her father, she came with her older sister Alice mother in the care of her grandmother and was adopted by this as well as their surname renamed Abbott. She was a Großkusine the Canadian Prime Minister John Abbott. 1885 she finished a visit to a higher private school for girls in Montreal, then studied in the same city at McGill University in 1890 and received the title of Bachelor of Arts. After the McGill University had denied her because of their gender permission to study medicine, she received such at Bishop 's University, Lennoxville located in. She was the only woman in her class, but faced with sabotage faced, such as students for the purpose of impairment of their advancement stole their case reports. Nevertheless, she received a doctorate in 1894.

After three years of study in Scotland, Switzerland and Austria Maude Abbott opened her own practice in Montreal and treated mainly women and children. She was initially interested in pathological anatomy and also worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital. 1898 she became assistant curator in 1901 and Curator of the Pathological Museum of McGill University and ordered the copies of his collection. Her work came to great acclaim, and as a result she was a co-founder of the International Association of Medical museum and gave out of their 1907-1938 Bulletin.

The early 1900s met Maude Abbott in Baltimore the renowned Canadian physician William Osler, who patronized and encouraged to pursue research on congenital heart disease, in which field she was a recognized authority. Your reputation in this respect she was able to consolidate in 1908 by the inclusion of their contribution Congenital Cardiac Disease in Osler's System of Modern Medicine. 1910 she was awarded the McGill University honorary doctorate of medicine. 1923-1925 she worked as a visiting professor of pathology and bacteriology at the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania. With five other doctors she founded in 1924 the Association of Medical Women of Canada to promote career opportunities for women in the field of medicine. Today, this organization is called the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. After her guest professorship Abbott returned to the McGill University and was there from 1925-1936 held the position of assistant professor of pathology.

Maude Abbott wanted to use museums and historical collections for medical education. On the occasion of the meeting of the 100th anniversary of the British Medical Association in 1932, she presented at McGill University an attention-getting exposure for congenital heart disease. Overall, she wrote more than 140 scientific articles and books. She also appeared as a writer of historical works produced medicine.

After Maude Abbott's retirement in 1936 she was awarded the McGill University a second honorary doctorate. The Carnegie Foundation granted her $ 2,500 for the completion of a work on heart disease, which, however, did not come to a conclusion. She died on September 2, 1940 at the age of 71 years in Montreal from a brain hemorrhage.

A 1943 verfertigtes by the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera mural of the Clinic for Cardiology in Mexico City represents Maude Abbott as the only woman among 50 of the most heart specialists in the world history dar. 1994 she was admitted posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Works (selection)

• An Historical Sketch of the Medical Faculty of McGill University, in Montreal Medical Journal, 1902
• Congenital Cardiac Disease, in: William Osler, Systems of Modern Medicine, Vol 4, Philadelphia / New York 1908
• Florence Nightingale as seen in her Pictures, with a Sketch of her Life, in: Canadian Association Medicine Journal, 1916
• Lectures on the History of Nursing with Descriptive List of Lantern Slides, 1924
• History of medicine in the province of Quebec, Montreal 1931
• Atlas of congenital cardiac disease, New York 1936, new edition 1954
• Classified and annoted bibliography of Sir William Osler 's publications, 2nd Edition Montreal 1939
• Congenital cardiac abnormalities, in: Diagnosies and treatment of cardiovascular disease, 1940, pp. 14-41