Helen MacMurchy

Dr. Helen MacMurchy (7 January 1862 - 8 October 1953), Canadian doctor, author of child and maternal welfare book. First woman intern at Toronto General Hospital.

MacMuchy, the daughter of Archibald MacMurchy graduated with first class honour in medicine and surgery in 1901 from the University of Toronto. She became the first women to intern at Toronto General Hospital. She was also the first women to take post graduate work under Dr. William Osler at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

In 1914 MacMuchy wrote "A Little Talk about the Baby" a book that mixed scholarly research with common sense. This book would soon become know to all Canadian mothers.

MacMuchy led a strong voice in her attempts to persuade the Canadian government that eugenics was the answer to preventing degenerate babies. In 1915, she was appointed the "inspector of the feeble-minded" in Ontario. Her actions led to the wrongful sterilization of many immagrants.

In the 1920's MacMuchy waged a campaign against the then high infant and maternal death rate.

MacMurchy made a special study of medical inspection of schools, child welfare and public health in England and in the United States. She would also become (for seven years) provincial inspector and assistant inspector of hospitals, prisons and charities.

In 1934 MacMuchy she was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

In 1949 she was named one of the ten leading women physicians in the western world. Among her contributions were her campaigns against high infant and maternal death rates, the pioneering the link between of medicine with social needs and writing, lecturing and teaching maternal and child hygiene.

References

"The Toronto Star", Oct. 13, 1953, and January 26, 1949 page 2.

External links

* [http://www.cbmh.ca/archive/00000225/ Examination of the first all-Canadian, government-sponsored childcare advice literature, written by Helen MacMurchy]
* [http://www.millenicom.com/~mattc/family%20macmurchy/dr%20helen.htm Brief Bio]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=A2126 Eugenics: Keeping Canada Sane]