Margaret Lin Xavier or Khun Ying Srivisanvaja (29 May 1898 – 6 December 1932), known colloquially as Dr. Lin, was a Thai physician. She was the first Thai woman to receive a degree in medicine.

Early life and education

Margaret Lin Xavier was born on 29 May 1898 in

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

(then Siam), to Celestino Maria Xavier, known as Phraya Sri Phipat Kosa, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Kim Kee. She was sent to study at the Holy Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent in Singapore. Upon her father's foreign posting as the Thai ambassador to Italy, Xavier entered Clark's Commercial College in London. She then passed matriculation and entered the

London School of Medicine for Women The London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW) established in 1874 was the first medical school in Britain to train women as doctors. The patrons, vice-presidents, and members of the committee that supported and helped found the London School of Me ...

and the Royal Free Hospital. She obtained an MBBS, MRCS, and LRCP.

Career

Following her father's death, Xavier returned to Thailand in 1924 and became an obstetrician and worked for the

Thai Red Cross Society The Thai Red Cross Society ( th, สภากาชาดไทย; ) is a major humanitarian organisation in Thailand, providing services as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was founded in 1893 and is h ...

King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH, th, โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์; ) is a public general and tertiary referral hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by the Thai Red Cross Society, and serves as the ...

, and the medical facility in Bang Rak District under the Ministry of Public Health. She also established a medical clinic called "Unakan" with her half sister Chan Xavier as the clinic's pharmacist. Xavier tended to patients of all social classes, not only Thai aristocracy. As the Bang Rak medical facility was for treatment of sexually-transmitted diseases, many of her patients were impoverished sex workers, whom she would treat free of charge. Even when she was breastfeeding, Margaret still continued to work, going home to breastfeed in the middle of the work day and returning to work in the afternoon. She opted to breastfeed the children herself, despite the fact that a woman of her status during that time would have employed the help of a wet nurse. A highlight of Xavier's career occurred on 12 August 1932, when she delivered Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, who would become Queen Sirikit, the queen consort of

King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

(or Rama IX) and the mother of

King Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

(or Rama X).

Personal life

Marriage to Phraya Srivisanvaja

Xavier married Phraya Srivisaravaja on 15 August 1926. He would become the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in 1932. She was bestowed the title of

Khun Ying Honorifics (linguistics), Honorifics are a class of words or grammatical morphemes that encode a wide variety of social relationships between interlocutors or between interlocutors and referents.Foley, William. ''Anthropological Linguistics: An Int ...

Srivisanvaja. They had two daughters, Than Phu Ying Manasanit Vannikul (née Srivisanvaja) and Khun Ying Sawitree Srivisanvaja, and one son, Kittirat Srivisanvaja.

Death

Xavier contracted encephalitis and died due to complications of influenza on 6 December 1932. She was 34.

Tribute

On 29 May 2020,

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celebrated her life with a

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xavier, Margaret Lin 1898 births 1932 deaths Alumni of the London School of Medicine for Women

Margaret Lin Xavier Margaret Lin Xavier or Khun Ying Srivisanvaja (29 May 1898 – 6 December 1932), known colloquially as Dr. Lin, was a Thai physician. She was the first Thai woman to receive a degree in medicine. Early life and education Margaret Lin Xavier was ...