Elizabeth Bagshaw

Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw, CM (October 1881 – January 5, 1982) was one of Canada's first woman doctors,^[2] and the medical director of the first birth control clinic in Canada located in Hamilton, Ontario.^[3]

Early life

Born on a farm in Mariposa Township, Victoria County, Ontario to John and Eliza Bagshaw. Bagshaw's sister, Annie, remarked that from a young age she had a brilliant memory, and school work came easily for her.^[4] Her father died in July 1904 in a farm accident, which left Bagshawin charge of the family farm which spanned 89 hectares.^[4] By the first week of October 1904, Bagshaw sold the farm, and moved both her mother and sister with her to Toronto to finish her final year of medical school.

Education

Bagshaw registered at the University of Toronto in September 1901 as an occasional student; this enabled her to obtain a degree from this university while taking most of her courses at the neighbouring Women's Medical College (now Women's College Hospital). Since the College was unable to grant degrees, she received her degree from the University of Toronto. She gained practical experience at Women's Medical College seeing pre-natal patients at a maternity clinic. In 1905 Elizabeth became Doctor Bagshaw and graduated from the University of Toronto. After graduation, Bagshawapprenticed under Emma Leila Skinner who was an 1896 graduate of the University of Toronto. There she learned of maternity work, and the economic struggles patients often has in affording and seeing a doctor.

Career

After working there, for the summer of 1906, Bagshaw moved to Hamilton, Ontario where she set up her own medical practice. She had many patients over the years. One particular hardship was the Spanish Flu, where during the epidemic she had approximately 25-30 maternity cases per month. From 1932 until 1966, she was the medical director of Canada's first birth control clinic. Over the course of her career she delivered thousands of babies, including one delivered by the light of kerosene lamps from her car.^[5] She retired at the age of 95 in 1976 and was the oldest practicing physician in Canada at the time. She became a Centenarian in 1981.

Personal life

Shortly before World War I, Bagshaw met Lou Honey, a Canadian soldier, who was also killed shortly after enlisting in 1915. She also corresponded with a man named Jimmie Dickinson while at the University of Toronto and kept in touch with him for years after their graduation in 1905. At the time of the Spanish Flu epidemic he was living in Western Canada, contracted Spanish flu, developed pneumonia and died. Both of her potential love interests died in the early struggles of the twentieth century. In 1921, nearing her 40th birthday, Bagshaw began a friendship with Rocco Perri, a man known as the king of bootleggers.^[4]

Bagshaw attended church her whole life and belonged to a temperance organization; however, she had a tendency to become involved with law-breakers. During this same period, in February 1926, she received a phone call telling her that her second cousin, Bernice, was ill. When Bernice passed away Bagshaw cared for her son, John. At the age of 45 she adopted him, calling her lawyer and avoiding Children's Aid completely, reasoning that "they would never give a child to an unmarried woman."^[6] Both her son, and her daughter-in-law would eventually become doctors and work in the same office she started in Hamilton.^[4]

Awards and distinctions

In 1970, she was awarded Hamilton's Citizen of the Year. On April 11, 1973, Bagshaw was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1978, the National Film Board of Canada produced a film about her called Doctor Woman: The Life and Times of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw.^[7] In 1979, she was one of the first seven women to receive the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case "to recognize outstanding contributions to the quality of life of women in Canada".^[8] In 2007, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.^[9] The Elizabeth Bagshaw Elementary School in Hamilton is named in her honour as is the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Clinic in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Elizabeth Bagshaw Women's Clinic in Vancouver, British Columbia is a clinic providing reproductive and abortion care in a safe, confidential and relaxing atmosphere.^[10]

References

"She affected profound change at a time of enormous adversity" http://www.cdnmedhall.org/inductees/dr-elizabeth-bagshaw