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Catherine Chisholm (2 January 1878 – 21 July 1952) was a British physician and the first female medical graduate of the
University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...
. She was instrumental in founding the Manchester Babies Hospital, which was opened on 4 August 1914, contributing to her reputation as one of the founders of modern neonatology practice. She was appointed a
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1935 and became the first female
Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
in 1949.


Early life

Chisholm was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, a small town near
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. She was the eldest daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie Chisholm, himself a graduate of medicine from the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, and general practitioner in the area. He was supportive of the idea that women should practice medicine at a time when few women were admitted to university to study medicine; and he encouraged Catherine by taking her on his rounds as a GP.


Education

Chisholm entered Owens College, Manchester, in 1895, graduating with a BA in Classics in 1898. She was also awarded the Bishop Lee Greek Testament Prize. She entered the then Owens College Medical School in the University the following year as the first female student to do so – eventually graduating in medicine (
MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
) from the Victoria University of Manchester, with a first-class degree in forensic medicine, obstetrics, surgery, 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 ...
.


Career

Following graduation her first year of residency was as a medical officer at Clapham Maternity Hospital, one of the few hospitals in the county that employed only women doctors. She then undertook a further six-month placement at Eldwick Children's Sanatorium in
Bingley Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which had a population of 18,294 at the 2011 Census. Bingley railwa ...
, Yorkshire. In 1906 she returned to Manchester to set up General Practice, serving female students at the university and in the local area. In 1908 she became Honorary Physician for children at the Northern Hospital in Manchester, a post she held to 1919 and overlapping with her roles as consultant for Hope Hospital in
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
(1914–36), and consultant to the Babies' Hospital (1914–50). Her work to establish and then act as consultant to the Manchester Babies Hospital in many ways defined the rest of her career. The hospital was initially created as a small facility with just 12 beds, aimed at providing specialist care for the "more effective treatment of babies and very young children suffering from diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders". It was based on the model of the London Infants Hospital, but, like the Clapham Maternity Hospital, all the doctors were female. Chisholm travelled to visit the
Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2012 is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical Scho ...
in 1920, which informed her understanding of rickets in child health and led to the further addition of a special ward for
rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...
, a human breast milk bank, laboratory, and teaching facilities at the Hospital. In 1935 the Hospital was renamed the Duchess of York Hospital for Babies to coincide with the opening of a new surgical block by the Duchess of York. Concurrent to her clinical work she held an academic lectureship at the
University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...
for over 20 years (1923–1949) on vaccination and the diseases of children. She was made the first female Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1949, under a by-law that allowed election of "persons holding a medical qualification, but not Members of the College, who have distinguished themselves in the practice of medicine, or in the pursuit of Medical or General Science or Literature".


Commitment to women's issues

Following her first graduate placement at a hospital with only women doctors, Chisholm demonstrated throughout her career a commitment to the promotion of better understanding and support of women's health. She was essentially responsible for the founding of the Women Students' and Athletics' Union in 1899 at the University of Manchester, and was later to write in her book, ''The Medical Inspection of Girls in Secondary Schools'', about the importance of sports and gymnastics for women. Her doctoral thesis focused on promoting healthy attitudes to menstruation, arguing in an era in which such subjects were little-discussed that a sound understanding of their bodies was essential for young women. She was the school medical officer for the Manchester Girls' High School from 1908 to 1945, and the university medical officer for women students from 1918 to 1947; and her general practice established in 1906–1908 focused on serving women students of the University and in the surrounding local area. As her clinical practice became increasingly linked to the developing child health movement she worked alongside key members of the feminist reform movement at the time in the Women's Citizens' Association. Following her appointment as a medical adviser on child health to the public health committee she worked especially with
Margaret Ashton Margaret Ashton (19 January 1856 – 15 October 1937) was an English suffragist, local politician, pacifist and philanthropist, and the first woman City Councillor for Manchester. Career Margaret Ashton was the first woman to run for election t ...
. As the committee's chairman, Manchester's first woman city councillor and a wealthy feminist in her own right, she provided financial support to establish the founding of the Babies Hospital in addition to funds from the city. The Babies' Hospital was in its time one of the country's main women-run hospitals, and Chisholm herself trained over 150 medical women there. She was also key in the foundation of the Medical Women's Federation in 1917, aimed at countering discrimination and protecting women's interests as medical professionals. As its President (1928–30) she greatly expanded its membership and influence within the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Ministry of Health.


Legacy

As a result of Chisholm's consistent lobbying for the role, the position of Chair in Child Health was founded at the University of Manchester in 1947, and continues to the present day. She was also able to persuade the dean of the University of
Manchester Medical School The School of Medical Sciences at the University of Manchester is one of the largest in the United Kingdom with around 6,000 undergraduates, 3,000 postgraduates and 2,000 staff. It is the third oldest medical school in England and the largest m ...
to establish
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as the first professor of paediatrics. Following her death the Catherine Chisholm Memorial Lecture was endowed by subscription following an appeal in the '' British Medical Journal'' that "some tribute should be paid to her memory and that her many activities in various fields for the welfare and health of children should be commemorated". The trust continues to exist and is administered and presented by the Manchester Medical Society. Her obituary in ''
The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...
'' in 1952 noted: "Many medical women – and men too – owe their advancement to her, for she opened the way and enabled them to move forward with confidence."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisholm, Catherine 1878 births 1952 deaths Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British paediatricians Women pediatricians People from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester Presidents of the Medical Women's Federation People in health professions from Manchester