Gertrude Ella Mead (1867–1919) was an Australian medical doctor and advocate for women and children. Mead was the third woman doctor registered in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. She was a founder of the

Child protection Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...

society of Western Australia as well as an early advocate for

homes for the aged A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple i ...

and daycare centres.

Early life and education

Gertrude Ella Mead was born on 31 December 1867 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, the third child of Baptist minister

Silas Mead Silas Mead (16 August 1834 – 13 September 1909) was an English Baptist minister remembered for founding the Flinders Street Baptist Church in Adelaide, South Australia, and for the missionary work in India which he inspired. History Mead was bo ...

and Ann Mead (née Staples). She attended the

Advanced School for Girls The Advanced School for Girls was a South Australian State school whose purpose was to prepare girls to qualify for entry to the University of Adelaide. Founded in 1879, the school merged with Adelaide High School in 1907. History From its ince ...

alongside her sister

Lilian Lillian or Lilian can refer to: People * Lillian (name) or Lilian, a given name Places * Lilian, Iran, a village in Markazi Province, Iran In the United States * Lillian, Alabama * Lillian, West Virginia * Lillian Township, Custer County, Ne ...

, the first public secondary school in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and the first school to allow girls to matriculate and qualify for university. She matriculated in 1884 with second class honours. Mead initially trained in nursing at the

Adelaide Children's Hospital The Women's and Children's Hospital is located on King William Road in North Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the major hospitals in Adelaide and is a teaching hospital of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flin ...

from 1890 to 1891, and then began a

MBBS 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 ...

Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, graduating 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 nor ...

in 1897. She spent two years in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

working as a resident physician and house surgeon.

Career

Mead returned to Australia in 1901 and was the third woman registered as a doctor in

. She practiced from her home in Perth, with a focus on women and children's health. She was a medical officer for the House of Mercy for unmarried mothers from 1904 to 1907, and physician for the

Perth Children's Hospital Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) is a specialist children's hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia, located at the corner of Winthrop Avenue and Monash Avenue on the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEII) site. It is Western Australia's sp ...

which opened in 1909. When the King Edward Memorial Hospital opened in 1916, she was the obstetric representative of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association. She also represented that association on the Western Australian Council for

Venereal Disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...

and presented a report in 1918 calling for greater education of nurses on the subject. She proposed the idea of

district nurses District Nurses work manage care within the community and lead teams of community nurses and support workers. The role requires registered nurses to take a NMC approved specialist practitioner course. Duties generally include visiting house-bound ...

in Perth. Mead was a member of the

Karrakatta Club The Karrakatta Club is a female-only women's club in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia. History The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of the St George Reading Circle. The St G ...

, the first women's club in Australia, and served as vice president from 1912 to 1914, as well as chairwoman of various programs. She gave talks on women's work and international issues, and

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

work. In 1912, she was appointed as medical representative to the inaugural Senate of the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, one of two women of the 18 members chosen by the government, who began to advocate for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

at the university. Mead remained on the university's senate and education committee for the rest of her life. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Mead taught Red Cross nurses and was a medical officer at the

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Base Hospital as well as a Perth divisional surgeon. She was a life member of

St John Ambulance Brigade St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

. Mead was one of the founders of the Children's Protection Society of Western Australia in 1906, which tried to "control the worst abuses of 'baby farming' and began to license foster mothers who were suitable to care for needy children." In 1909, she wrote in ''Dependent Children'', "It is only within the last century that the civilised world has slowly awakened to a sense of its responsibility towards the children born of white parents who come under the heading of "unwanted"." In 1912, Mead joined the committee of the Silver Chain Nursing League and proposed a scheme to build cottage homes for elderly people. The first such cottage, on Wright Street in North Perth was designed and furnished by Mead and Muriel Chase. She began to investigate a similar idea for old people's homes in Adelaide. In 1907, Mead wrote a paper called "Medical Missions" for the ''WA Baptist'' magazine, emphasising the need for doctors to "embrace spiritual work as well as regular medical care - to win souls while healing bodies." Mead was a member of the

Perth Central Baptist Church The Perth Central Baptist Church was a church building in Perth, Western Australia. The church was completed in 1899 and demolished in 1979 to make way for the Alexander Library Building The Alexander Library Building, is located in the Cultu ...

, where her brother-in-law A.S. Wilson was the pastor. She was known for her "deep compassion for the poor."

Death and legacy

Mead returned to Adelaide in 1919 to visit her brother, a

medical missionary Medical missions is the term used for Christian missionary endeavors that involve the administration of medical treatment. As has been common among missionary efforts from the 18th to 20th centuries, medical missions often involves residents of th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

who was on leave. She suffered a

cerebral embolism An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule ( fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amnio ...

and died on 6 November 1919. She is buried in the

West Terrace Cemetery The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia's oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light's 1837 plan of Adelaide. The site is located in Park 23 of the Adelaide Park Lands just south-west of the Adelaide city centre, between ...

. Upon her death,''The Bulletin'' newspaper called her "one of erth'smost useful citizens." The Silver Chain Cottage Homes in Perth were opened in 1920, and in 1981 the only surviving home was renamed "Dr Gertrude Mead Cottage Home". In 1987, the federal government named Mead St in

Chisholm, Australian Capital Territory Chisholm () is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Tuggeranong (district), Tuggeranong, named after Caroline Chisholm. It was gazetted on 5 August 1975, and streets are named after notable women. It is nearby suburbs of Gilmore, A ...

after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Gertrude Ella 1867 births 1919 deaths People from Adelaide University of Adelaide Medical School alumni Melbourne Medical School alumni Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors 19th-century Australian medical doctors 20th-century Australian medical doctors Children's rights activists Australian women's rights activists Burials at West Terrace Cemetery Australian Baptists People educated at the Advanced School for Girls Australian people of English descent