Sarah Hackett Stevenson

Sarah Hackett Stevenson
Born February 2, 1841 Edit this on Wikidata
Ogle County Edit this on Wikidata
Died August 14, 1909 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 68)
Alma mater

Sarah Ann Hackett Stevenson (February 2, 1841 – August 14, 1909) was an early female physician in Illinois, and the first female member of the American Medical Association (AMA). She was a considerable leader and advocate for the emancipation of women, the fair and equal treatment of between men and women.

Education

Stevenson was born in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and she began her studies at the Mount Carroll Seminary (which later became Shimer College). She then continued to Illinois State Normal University where she graduated with honors in 1863. She taught school and served as principal in Sterling, Illinois, but later moved to Chicago to study medicine at Women's Hospital Medical College, where she obtained her MD in 1874, having in the meantime also spent a year in England studying under Thomas Huxley.

Influence

She was the first of many: the first woman member of the American Medical Association (AMA), the first woman appointed on the State Board of Health, and the first woman to be on staff at the Cook County Hospital.[1]  She was a strong advocate for the emancipation of woman. Dr. Stevenson’s opted to resign from her position at the Woman’s Medical College because she believed the segregation of sexes in medical school was no longer needed. In 1875, she took up a professorship at the Women's Hospital Medical College, which later became part of Northwestern University but was closed in 1892. In 1876, attending the AMA convention as a delegate of the Illinois State Medical Society, she was accepted without controversy as the AMA's first female member. In 1880 she co-founded the Illinois Training School for Nurses together with Lucy Flower. She retired in 1903.

In 1893, Stevenson proposed to the Chicago Woman's Club to create a safe home for women and children without funds and in of shelter. Her proposal was accepted by many and followed by donations from various individuals and other clubs; the Woman's Model Lodging House was then opened to the public as a result of Stevenson's plea to help those in need. There was a charge of fifteen cents per night, and those who were unable pay were given work to pay for their lodging.[2]

Writings

  • Boys and Girls in Biology (1875)
    • Stevenson states that often times science is taught to others using complex terminology rendering it unappealing and difficult to understand. This literally work was written in hopes of educating young boys and girls about biology in a interesting and simplistic way. [3]
  • The Physiology of Women (1880)
    • The purpose of this book was to education women about themselves. There are five chapters within the book that talk about the physiology and anatomy of women, mental health, marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, and much more. [4]
  • Wife and Mother: Or, Information for Every Woman (1888)
    • A book with several chapters including what to expect during and after pregnancy.

References

  1. ↑ Sperry, F.m. (1904). A Group of Distinguished Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago. Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co. pp. 145–147.
  2. ↑ Hurlbut, William (1919). Stevenson Memorial Cook Book. Chicago: Sarah Hackett Stevenson Memorial Lodging House Association. p. 5.
  3. ↑ Stevenson, Sarah (1875). Boys and Girls in Biology. New York: D. Appleton and Company.
  4. ↑ Stevenson, Sarah (1883). The Physiology of Woman, Embracing Girlhood, Maternity, and Mature Age. 1883: Fairbanks, Palmer & Co.

Further reading

  • Sperry, F.M. (1904). A Group of Distinguished Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago: A Collection of Biographical Sketches of Many of the Eminent Representatives, Past and Present, of the Medical Profession of Chicago. A Group of Distinguished Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago: A Collection of Biographical Sketches of Many of the Eminent Representatives, Past and Present, of the Medical Profession of Chicago. J.H. Beers & Company. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  • Works by or about Sarah Hackett Stevenson at Internet Archive
  • Jone Johnson Lewis. "Biography: Sarah Ann Hackett Stevenson". About Education. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22.
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