Born in New York in 1829 and died in Colorado in 1907 at the age of 79 (?). She married John Leonard, and they had seven children, with four surviving to adulthood according to the 1900 census. John died in 1895/6.
Along with Julia E. Loomis, the first woman doctor in Colorado Springs, Harriet Leonard was the first woman doctor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Her advertisement appeared as early as July of 1878. Her ad read: "Mrs. H. A. Leonard, M.D. ELECTRICIAN. Special attention given to nervous and chronic diseases. Office in the Mineral Bath House. Manitou." This form of treatment was not that unusual in the 1870s. You can read more at: http://blog.nyhistory.org/electric-medicine/
Dr. Leonard later became the proprietor of the Bath house, a rather unusual position for a woman. Nonetheless, Harriet was constantly working and learning. There is some indication she may have gone to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (originally known as Hot Springs) for a time, but no definite proof has been found. It would not be out of the question, as the town has numerous hot springs. The springs in Manitou are mineral, and not hot springs. It would make sense given her history.
Manitou Bath House Building Image from Wikipedia
Another difference between Dr. Leonard and the other female physicians was that she was an allopath, while Dr. Loomis, the first woman doctor in Colorado Springs, and others were homeopaths. Dr. Leonard graduated from the Keokuk College of Physicians and Surgeons. http://www.keokuk.net/history/1820sto.htm Dr. Loomis, like the two other women doctors who joined these two early pioneers, graduated from the Cleveland Homeopathic College for Women.
Dr. Leonard, before the fall that led to her decline and subsequent death, was planning to open a massage parlor in Colorado Springs with both a male and female masseuse.
For over fifteen years, I have been passionate about the study and research of these early women doctors. Stay tuned as I share more about the women doctors who practiced in Colorado before 1900.
There is a history of women struggling to be accepted in the early part
of the 1800s. It began with Elizabeth Blackwell and her efforts for
acceptance into Geneva medical college.
Dr. Blackwell, who
graduated in 1849 from Geneva was not the only woman who made the
effort to attend medical school or practice medicine openly. Dr.
Harriot Kezia Hunt practiced in Massachusetts in the 1830s and had
applied to Harvard Medical School, at the same time Blackwell applied to Geneva, but was denied acceptance. (It should be noted, the faculty agreed to let Dr. Hunt and men of color audit classes, but the student body objected.) Dr. Hunt was
later given an honorary degree from the Female Medical College of
Philadelphia in 1853.
In 1864 Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first woman of color in the United States to earn a medical degree. Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson, a physician in Illinois was admitted to the American Medical Association in 1876.
On January 8, 1873, the Denver Rocky Mountain News, carried
the following advertisement. “Mrs. E. A. Gillett,M.D. Office and
residence: Curtis Street between I and K. Special attention given to
Obstetrics and diseases of women and children. References: John
Major, M.D., Dr. C. Wakefield, Bloomington, Illinois: R.A. Gunn M.D.,
H.D. Garrison M.D., L.S. Major M.D., Prof. Bennet, Medical College,
Chicago.” How long
Dr. Gillet remained in Denver for approximately two years before continuing further west.
The idea of a female doctor in Colorado does not seem to be one of fighting prejudice. At least not overtly. Dr. Gillett had supporters, most of whom are male. There were women doctors in the 1870s in
Colorado who did not fit any of the parameters we've seen in the television
shows. Dr. Alida Avery came to Denver in 1874 as the director of
hygiene. Dr. Avery's credentials were impressive. She
graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1862 and
then Boston University of Medicine in 1863.Prior to Colorado, Dr. Avery was a professor at Vassar from
1865 to 1874. Matthew Vassar in 1864 wanted to use all female
professors, but in the 1860s there were few who would
qualify. He did locate two, astronomer Maria Mitchell and Dr.
Alida C. Avery, physician, and physiology professor. Dr.
Avery, along with Miss Lyman and Dr. Raymond, were called by some of
the students ' The Trinity' for their power in the institution. A
case for fighting prejudice might be made for Dr. Avery if you include her work
on behalf of women and the suffrage movement. By the time Dr. Avery
arrived in Colorado, two years prior to statehood, she was involved
in and was the president of “The Organization for Women's rights”.The
Rocky Mountain News announced her arrival in style. The June 11, 1874 edition of the paper included the following: “the
well-known professor of physiology and hygiene, at Vassar College,
Alida C. Avery, M. D., has arrived in Denver and taken up residence on 20th St., corner of Champa. She has been the
resident physician of that institution from its opening in 1865,
having usually under her care the health and habits of some 400 young
women from every part of our country. The Poughkeepsie news, in
announcing her resignation, makes mention of the remarkable fact,
that not a single death occurred among the pupils under her charge,
during her eight years of administration....”
While
Dr. Avery may have been the first female physician to remain in
Colorado for more than two years, she was not the only one. Dr. Rilla G
Hay, one of the first to be licensed in California when they began in
1876, spent time in active practice and furthered her education,
taking additional medical courses over the years she was in practice.
Dr. Edith Root was the first woman to receive a license
in the state of Colorado when the state began the process in 1881.
While women had to work to achieve their dreams, so did many others. What we can take from their journey is the determination to follow through and just do it.
If you would like to know more about the women doctors who practiced in the Colorado Springs area the book: "Under the Stone: Early Women Doctors in Evergreen Cemetery" is available as an ebook. Amazon Purchase Link
Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy.
A short re-post from an earlier time. I've been busy with an accident last week and it seems to be neverending. (Sigh)
Mary Helen Barker Bates. Sounds like a made-up name. It couldn't be
further from the truth.
Mary Helen Barker Bates
was born in 1845 in New York. Her father was Dr. Ezra Barker, who
also had a practice in there. Her mother was Jane Ruth Freeman and
Dr. Barker was her second marriage. The two were married in 1843. The
couple had three children, two girls and one boy with Helen the
eldest.
Mary
Helen Barker Bates
(b.1845-d.1934) was the daughter of Dr. Ezra Barker who practiced in
New York. She graduated from the Woman’s Medical College in
Philadelphia. In her early career, she practiced in Salt
Lake City, Utah where
some of her patients were the family of Mormon leader Brigham Young.
It was there she met and married George Bates in September 1876.
In 1878. at
the age of 33, she moved to the mining town of Leadville,
Colorado.
Leadville for those who don’t know sits at 10,152 feet above sea
level in the Colorado Rockies. While there she founded the Ladies
Relief Hospital. In 1881 she moved to Denver for her husband’s
health.
Mary was also one of the early women licensed by the State.
(Her license #271). She took a special interest in Woman’s
Suffrage,
children and education. She introduced the Colorado Law for the
Examination and Care of Public School Children which went into effect
in 1910.
Her husband died in 1886 and Mary never remarried. Instead, she appears to have devoted her life to the betterment of others. While in Denver and still practicing medicine another Mary Bates, also a doctor, arrived. She was Mary Elizabeth Bates and her story is just as exciting. More on her later.
I have a short story in a new anthology: Check it out
I want to introduce you to two women who
were practicing medicine in Denver before 1900. Both were named Mary Bates.
Although I'm still learning about these doctors, their
stories so far are still the stuff of legends and can and will lead
to so much more.
To
help put their story in context let’s start with Colorado, which became a
state in 1876. From the early days, Colorado was filled with people
who were adventurers, the people who go where others may fear to tread. When gold and other minerals were found in the high
mountains the state population began to explode. Those not searching for gold, remember the1859 slogan “Pikes
Peak or Bust”, they were providing services and goods for the searchers.
Additionally, there was an influx of people who found the Colorado climate beneficial
for their health. This combination led many women to brave this new
territory to practice their medical skills. Into this mix, Mary Elizabeth Bates and Mary Helen Barker Bates arrive.
an early image of Leadville from Wikipedia
Mary
Helen Barker Bates
(b.1845-d.1934) was the daughter of Dr. Ezra Barker who practiced in
New York. She graduated from the Woman’s Medical College in
Philadelphia. In her early career, she practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah. Family history says she was the physician for Mormon leader Brigham Young. In reality, she probably was the doctor for members of his family. It was in Utah she met and married George Bates in 1876. In 1878. at
the age of 33, she moved to the mining town of Leadville,
Colorado.
Leadville for those who don’t know sits at 10,152 feet above sea
level in the Colorado Rockies. While there she was part of the group who tried to create the Ladies
Relief Hospital. In 1881 she moved to Denver for her husband’s
health. She was also one of the early women licensed by the State when the state began licensing physicians in 1881.
(Her license #271). She took a special interest in Women's Suffrage,
children and education. She introduced the Colorado bill for the Law for the
Examination and Care of Public School Children which went into effect
in 1910.
Denver, CO 1887 Library of Congress
Mary Elizabeth Bates (b.1851
d.1954) arrived in Denver in 1891. Before arriving in Colorado, she
was the first woman intern (1882-1883) at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois after
a grueling exam in which she beat out several male candidates.
She studied in Vienna from 1883-1884. Upon her return, she was a
professor of anatomy at the Woman’s Medical College in Chicago from
1884-1889. In Colorado, she also was involved in the Woman’s
Suffrage movement and was part of the group that affected the passage
of the 1893 referendum which gave Colorado women the right to vote.
Dr. Bates also was a champion of the strict adherence to the liquor
and gambling laws of the state. Dr. Bates other passion was animal
rights and before her death in 1954 she created the Mary Elizabeth
Bates Foundation for animal care.
Both
women were and are strong role models for following a dream and not
giving up on what you believe in. As I continue to research and learn
about these early women pioneer doctors I find their stories are something I
do not want future generations to lose. The gift these women have
left us are the nuggets of gold that far outweigh the stuff that was
torn from the earth during the time they were practicing their
careers.
Photo property of the author
In the novel "Josie's Dream", Josephine Forrester dreams of creating a medical practice of her own. She gets the chance in the town of Kiowa Wells, CO. Below is a short excerpt where Josies is treating Will Murphy, the man who is the one who ...
The early summer heatwave of the
past week drove Will’s patience past all control. He was sitting in
Josie’s office, his hands moving under the bandage on his head.
“Fussing with your bandages
won’t make your wound heal any faster,” Josie said grinning.
“A lot you know, lady doctor,”
Will shot back.
“Insulting me will not help
either,” Josie laughed. The look of frustration on Will’s face
was too ludicrous to keep the laugh inside.
“I’ll show you,” Will
snarled as he began unwinding the bandage on his head. Almost as
quickly, the kitten, seeing movement pounced on the flying ends.
It was too much, Josie laughed so
hard tears were falling, as she held her ribs, gasping for breath.
Sheepishly, Will grinned,
reaching over to pet the kitten. “Perhaps you could…”
Still gasping, Josie could only
nod her head in assent, her green eyes sparkling at Will’s
discomfort. She knew she should be professional, but between the
kitten and Will’s discomfort, she just couldn’t keep a straight
face.
In the meantime, the kitten
reverted to its ancestral self, attacking the bandage with a
vengeance. The way the kitten pounced, attacking the ends, then
pulling, it appeared she might manage to topple Will over.
Jumping up, Josie picked up and
moved the kitten away. Taking a pair of scissors, Josie began cutting
the bandage from around Will’s head. Once she’d removed the
bandage, she gently examined the wound from the bullet. “Well,
you’re healing nicely, but that wound is still looking like a piece
of rare meat.”
“Are
you saying you could place my head between two pieces of bread?”
Will grinned.
“I doubt it would be very good,
too tough,” Josie retorted.
“What, you don’t like it
tough?”
Josie wasn’t comfortable with
the way the conversation was heading. Will was her patient, but…
I’ve had less time to research with the new novel that arrived on April 6, 2019. So for this post, I'm re-posting an older, revised post. I’m sharing some statistics about early women doctors. For this post, I focused on the women who were licensed prior to 1890. This is just a sample of these amazing women.
I've written a number of time of Alida Avery,who was one of the first women doctors in Colorado, arriving in 1874. She worked to be admitted into the Colorado Medical Society. She did not succeed, but her efforts helped those who came later. By 1881, when Colorado began licensing doctors, it didn't matter whether you were male or female. If you met the criteria, you were licensed.
There was Julia Loomis, who was Colorado Springs first female doctor. She arrived sometime between 1876 and 1878. She passed away in 1880. Her contemporary was Harriett Leonard, the first in Manitou Springs. She also arrived between 1876 and 1878.
Below are additional women who received a Colorado license prior to 1890. This is not a complete list, but a sampling.
Augusta B. Nelson: practiced in Denver, received her license in 1888 and was 59 at the time.
Mary Ogden: practiced in Denver, received her license in 1886 and was 45.
Caroline F. Parker: practiced in Longmont, received her license in 1883 at the age of 43.
Celestia D Messinger: practiced in Leadville and other places was 41 when she was licensed in 1883
Anna Marsh: received her license in 1881, was 43. She started her practice in Greeley.
Madeline Marquette (Baker): was licensed in 1888 at a young 28 and along with Dr. Josepha Williams opened a private sanitarium in Denver.
Mary Mallory: licensed in 1888 also at 42 years of age. She started her practice in Salida, but moved to California in 1890.
Julia McNutt: was 41 in 1884 when she received her license and practiced in San Juan County Colorado
Trail to the North Star mine up King Solomon Mountain, Cunningham Gulch. San Juan County, Colorado. 1875.
Julia Adams: was 50 in 1881 and practiced in Chaffee County. Her license is #124.
Elnora W. Anderson: was a young 35 in 1881 when she received license #184, setting up a practice in Denver.
There are twenty plus additional women on the list, and with rare exception the age at time of receiving their license is forty or older. Yes, a lot of them set up a practice in Denver, but as you can see by the sample above they also headed out to the mountains and other less populous areas. The more I learn about these women who followed their dreams the more I want to know. Their desire and fortitude show me that a dream doesn’t end when you reach a certain age, it is ageless. Can I do any less?
Until next time, here’s to history and the stories it tells.
My novel "Josie's Dream" is this story of an early women doctor who comes to Colorado in 1879 to settle in the fictional town of Kiowa Wells. Here is an excerpt from that story:
Since corresponding with Dr.
Harriett Leonard, a past student of her medical school and dear
friend, despite the difference in age, Josie had been dreaming of
coming to Colorado. Dr. Leonard had offered to let her work at the
Spa in Manitou Springs where Harriett was the proprietor, but Josie
wanted to create a practice in a smaller town, where people really
needed her.
Now here she was in Kiowa Wells,
on the eastern plains of Colorado just a few miles from the railhead
at Kit Carson. Her biggest obstacle now was finding a place to set up
her medical practice.
Despite
his reservations, her father gave her a medical bag, equipped with
the basics. “Something to remind you of this commitment, your
Hippocratic oath,” were his parting words.
Her parents, though still in
Iowa, were in her heart. Still, she knew it had been time to leave.
While others of her friends were getting married, she had gone to
medical school, her path clear to her.
“Can
I help you?” The voice behind her asked, a hand reaching around to
grab her bags.
Turning to face the speaker,
Josie took in the disheveled appearance, the look of cunning in the
eyes.
“I can manage, thank you,”
Josie replied, taking a firmer hold on her belongings.
“Now, there is no need to be
rude. I was just tryin’ to be helpful,” the man said as he tugged
at her bag.
Stiffening, Josie sternly
repeated, “I can manage.”
With a hard yank, the man managed
to pull her doctor bag loose and without a thought, Josie swung her
large bag at the man, striking him on the legs as he turned to run
off. Instead, he found himself flat on the ground.
Calmly, Josie bent, retrieved her
property, and knowing he was just stunned, started down the street.
She had only gone a few steps when she heard a bellow behind her.
“Let me get to the point
quickly,” she said as she turned to her tormentor, who stopped so
quickly he almost fell. “I have nothing of value you could use. So,
unless you are in need of medical care, I suggest you stop while you
are ahead.” Now, standing close, she could smell the liquor on him.
Her eye took in his inability to stand upright without swaying. But
to be fair, his fall might have had something do to with that.
