Constance Ellis (2 November 1872 – 10 September 1942) was an Australian medical doctor who specialised in obstetrics, gynaecology and

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

. In 1903 she became the first woman to graduate from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

as a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

Biography

Constance Ellis was born in 1872 in

Carlton, Victoria Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. Im ...

, to Lydia Constance (née Phillips) and Louis Ellis, a Victorian sheriff. She attended school at

Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne , motto_translation = The law of God is the Lamp of Life , established = 1875 , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding, Christian school , denomination = Presbyterian , princip ...

, and graduated in 1890. She studied medicine at the

from 1894 to 1899, finishing second in her class in surgery and third in medicine. After graduating, she completed a year's residency at the

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

and another two years at the Royal Children's Hospital. In 1903 she returned to the University of Melbourne to sit the examination to obtain a

; she was the first woman at the university to obtain the degree. Ellis began working for the

Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne Queen Victoria Village, generally known as QV Melbourne or just QV, is a precinct in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. Covering the city block bounded by Lonsdale, Little Lonsdale, Swanston, and Russell Streets, ...

pathology department in 1902, and served as an honorary pathologist during 1908–19. In the 1920s she was a senior medical officer at the hospital. For four years she was also a demonstrator in pathology at the University of Melbourne under

Harry Brookes Allen Sir Harry Brookes Allen (13 June 1854 – 28 March 1926) was a noted Australian pathologist. Education Harry Brookes Allen was born at Geelong, Victoria, the son of Thomas Watts Allen. He was educated at Flinders School, Geelong, and in 1869 ...

. She was a founding member and president of the Victorian Medical Women's Society. As its delegate on the Victorian council of the British Medical Association (BMA), she was the first Australian woman doctor to serve as a BMA councillor. She was also a founding member of the Victorian Baby Health Centres Association, and was vice president of the organisation from 1920 until 1942, the year of her death. Ellis was a founding member of th
Women's Automobile Association of Australia
in 1918. Ellis suffered from Paget's disease and died in 1942 in

South Yarra, Victoria South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Sto ...

. Ellis Place, in the Canberra suburb of

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

, is named in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Constance 1872 births 1942 deaths Australian obstetricians Melbourne Medical School alumni People educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne Australian Jews Medical doctors from Melbourne People from Carlton, Victoria 20th-century Australian women