Jennie Kidd Trout (born Gowanlock; April 21, 1841 – November 10, 1921) was the first woman in Canada to become a licensed medical doctor, on March 11, 1875. Trout was the only woman in Canada licensed to practice medicine until July 1880, when

Emily Stowe Emily Howard Stowe (née Jennings, May 1, 1831 – April 30, 1903) was a Canadian physician who was the first female physician to practise in Canada, the second licensed female physician in Canada and an activist for women's rights and suff ...

completed the official qualifications. Although the Inspector General of Hospitals in Upper and Lower Canada from 1857-59, Dr James Barry, was born Margaret Anne Bulkley in Ireland around 1789, Barry practiced medicine (whether out of practical need, or gender identity as either intersex or transgender) as a man.

Biography

Born in Wooden Mills, Kelso,

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, Jennie (whose name is variously spelled 'Jenny') moved with her parents to Canada in 1847, settling near Stratford, Ontario. Trout had taken a course in teaching after graduation, and had taught until her marriage to Edward Trout. She married Trout in 1865 and thereafter moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, where Edward ran a newspaper. Motivated by her own chronic illnesses, she decided on a medical career, passing her matriculation exam in 1871 and studying medicine at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. Trout and Emily Jennings Stowe were together the first women admitted to the Toronto School of Medicine, by special arrangement. Stowe, however, refused to sit her exams in protest of the school's demeaning treatment of the two women. Trout later transferred to the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been establishe ...

, where she earned her

M.D. 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. ...

on March 11, 1875 and became the first licensed female physician in Canada.Buchanan, D. (2012). " In His Name": The Live and Times of Jenny Kidd Trout. Leaven. 3(3): 16. Trout then opened the Therapeutic and Electrical Institute in Toronto, which specialized in treatments for women involving "

galvanic bath Galvanic bath is an alternative medical treatment (a type of electrotherapy) based on the simultaneous use of water and electric current. The patient lies in a 34 degree Celsius bath, while gentle electric current is passed through his body ...

s or electricity." For six years, she also ran a free dispensary for the poor at the same location. The Institute was quite successful, later opening branches in

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and

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. Due to poor health, Trout retired in 1882 to Palma Sola,

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. She was later instrumental in the establishment of a medical school for women at Queen's University in Kingston. Her family travelled extensively between Florida and Ontario, and later moved to

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, where she died in 1921. In 1991,

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

issued a postage stamp in her honour to commemorate her as the first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada. On April 21, 2018,

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celebrated her 177th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

References

External links

GOWANLOCK, JENNY KIDD (Trout)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
Historica Minute video and details
with links to lesson plans
Jennie (Jenny) Kidd Trout
(''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

'')
Jennie Kidd Gowanlock Trout
biographical page from a descendant
Famous Canadian Physicians
at Library and Archives Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Trout, Jennie Kidd 1841 births 1921 deaths 20th-century Canadian physicians 19th-century Canadian physicians Canadian women physicians People from Perth County, Ontario Pre-Confederation Ontario people Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People from Kelso, Scottish Borders University of Toronto alumni Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian philanthropists Queen's University at Kingston faculty Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Canadian women philanthropists Immigrants to the Province of Canada 20th-century women physicians 19th-century women physicians 20th-century Canadian women scientists

Biography

See also

References

External links