Love Rosa Hirschmann Gantt (December 29, 1875 – November 16, 1935), was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

based in South Carolina.

Early life and education

Love Rosa Hirschmann was born in

Camden, South Carolina Camden is the largest city and county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Camden is the oldest inland city in South Caro ...

, the daughter of Solomon Hirschmann and Lena Nachman Hirschmann. Her family was Jewish; her father was an immigrant from central Europe. Educated in the

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

public schools, she was one of the first two women to graduate from the

Medical College of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in South Carolina. It opened in 1824 in Charleston as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities ac ...

when she finished her medical degree there in 1901. She then trained at the New York Ophthalmic and Aural Institute under the supervision of Jacob Hermann Knapp, and at the New York University Eye and Ear Clinic.

Career

Upon her return to South Carolina, Hirschmann briefly became the staff physician at Winthrop College before leaving to marry Robert Joseph Gantt. She set up a private practice in 1905 in

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and otolaryngology and began a second career of public service. She was the second woman physician in the United States to become board-certified. As president of the American Medical Women's Association, Gantt persuaded their associated American Women's Hospitals Service to start a mobile

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

service in the southern Appalachians, working with Hilla Sheriff to bring vaccinations, nutritional education, prenatal care, dental examinations, and preventive health screenings to remote places in the South. Gantt served on the South Carolina Board of Public Welfare for five years and was legislative chairman of the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League. Gantt "organized and headed the Spartanburg Health League, the Spartanburg Anti-Tuberculosis Association, and the public health and legislation committees of the South Carolina Federation of Women’s Clubs." 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 ...

, she organized

Liberty Loan A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...

drives, served on a draft board, directed recreation at Camp Wadsworth, and was commissioned as a medical examiner for Air Force pilots. She founded the Sisterhood of Temple B'nai Israel, and was president of the South Carolina Federation of Temple Sisterhoods.

Personal life

In 1905, Hirschmann married Robert Joseph Gantt, an attorney. In 1935, she died at the

Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia The Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia was established in 1861 to provide clinical experience for Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania students, a group of Quaker women, particularly Ann Preston. History Its purposes were to “establish in Phila ...

from an embolism after surgery for uterine cancer, at the age of 59.Ogilvie & Harvey, pp. 976–77 There is a historic marker about Rosa H. Gantt located near the site of her medical office in Spartanburg's Morgan Square.

Notes

References

External links

* Christopher T. Leffler (2022)
"Love Rosa Hirschmann Gantt (1875-1935), a Eugenics Advocate: School Eye Exams, Pellagra Panic, Baby Contests, and Hereditary Cataracts in South Carolina"
; a medical historian's study, finding eugenic aspects in Gantt's public health work {{DEFAULTSORT:Gantt, Love 1875 births 1935 deaths Medical University of South Carolina alumni American otolaryngologists American women physicians American ophthalmologists Women ophthalmologists