Kate Emily Welton Hogg (1869–1951) was an Australian physician and graduate of the

Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women The Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women was established by Elsie Inglis and her father John Inglis. Elsie Inglis went on to become a leader in the suffrage movement and found the Scottish Women's Hospital organisation in World War I, but whe ...

. She studied alongside prominent early female physicians Mary Booth,

Agnes Bennett Agnes Elizabeth Lloyd Bennett (24 June 1872 – 27 November 1960) was a New Zealand doctor, a Chief Medical Officer of a World War I medical unit and later was awarded an O.B.E. for her services in improving the health of women and children. ...

, and Eleanor Sproull.

Early life and education

Born in London in 1869, Hogg was educated in Croydon, Sydney. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1894 and then entered the

Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney School of Medicine, also known as Sydney Medical School (SMS) is the graduate medical school of the University of Sydney. Established in 1856, it is the first medical school in Australia. In 2018, Sydney Medical School j ...

in 1895, but grew frustrated with the discouraging atmosphere fostered by the Dean, Professor

Anderson Stuart Sir Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart (20 June 1856 – 29 February 1920) was a Scottish-born professor of physiology, founder of the medical school at the University of Sydney.J. Atherton Young,Stuart, Sir Thomas Peter Anderson (1856 - 1920), Aus ...

. Foregoing Sydney, Hogg went on to enroll at the Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women, where she graduated MB ChB in 1900 and MD in 1909.

Career

Hogg worked as a physician in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. At a time when female physicians were uncommon, Hogg frequently encountered resistance and prejudice in the workplace which frustrated her career. In 1901 she was appointed assistant master at the

Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital (; ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Ban ⁊ Naonáin an Chúim) is a voluntary teaching hospital providing a range of medical services to both women and newborn infants in Dublin, Ireland. It is managed by D ...

, Dublin but resigned in June of that year due to frustration with the behaviour of superior staff toward her and pressure to be ‘agreeable’. By 1904, Hogg was back in Sydney working in private practice, and as an honorary demonstrator in anatomy alongside Mary Booth at the University of Sydney. However, opportunities for women were severely restricted and none of the boards of the metropolitan general public hospitals would accept women for postgraduate training. Hogg's friend and former classmate Agnes Bennett found Wellington, New Zealand a much more accommodating environment. Hogg followed Bennett to Wellington, apparently working as her locum and sharing a house together. Hogg was interested in the relationship between mental health and physical symptoms, focusing particularly on women's mental health and pelvic disorders. Whilst working as a junior medical officer at

Callan Park Hospital for the Insane The Callan Park Hospital for the Insane (1878 – 1914) is a heritage-listed former insane asylum, which was subsequently, for a time, used as a college campus, located in the grounds of Callan Park, an area on the shores of Iron Cove in Lilyfie ...

, New South Wales, she published a paper ''An Introduction to the Relation of the Female Pelvic Organs to Insanity'' in which she determined there to be a limited evidence of a relationship between pelvic disorders and insanity. However, she went on to research

dementia praecox Dementia praecox (meaning a "premature dementia" or "precocious madness") is a disused psychiatric diagnosis that originally designated a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginnin ...

specifically, submitting her PhD thesis ''Some considerations on the etiology of dementia praecox'' in 1909. Hogg thought that the majority of cases displayed well-marked anatomical defects in the pelvic organs.

Personal life

Hogg married James Campbell Neill in Wellington on 5 July 1913. She appears to have stopped working as a physician after marrying. She was the sister of Dr Stanley Welton Hogg (1881-1954) and cousin of Dr Robert Welton-Hogg (1891-1961). Robert was an elected a member of the

Wellington Hospital Board Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

for the Hutt constituency. He served for six years from 1938 until 1944. Hogg died in Auckland, New Zealand on 18 February 1951; her ashes are interred at Waikumete Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hogg, Kate Welton 1869 births 1951 deaths Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century women physicians University of Sydney alumni Australian emigrants to New Zealand