Mary Phylinda Dole (August 31, 1862 – February 23, 1947) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

physician who practiced medicine in New England and was the first to earn a bachelor's degree at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

. She is thought to be the first female physician to have practiced at Franklin County Public Hospital, now known as Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

Early life and education

Mary Phylinda Dole was born in 1862 to George Carpenter Dole, a farmer, and Philinda Field Dole in

Shelburne, Massachusetts Shelburne is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,884 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village of Shelburne Falls is located partly in Sh ...

. After the deaths of both parents, in 1871 she moved to live with a relative in

Ashfield, Massachusetts Ashfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ashfield was first settled in 1743 and was offi ...

, where she attended a local school and then Sanderson Academy. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary between 1881 and 1884 before graduating in 1886. Dole then studied medicine at the Women's Medical College of Baltimore from 1886 to 1888, earning her M.D. in just two years. She attended Mount Holyoke again, now

, from 1888 to 1889 after the school received its college charter and became the first graduate to complete a Bachelor of Science degree there. Dole spent additional time studying at the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...

in Paris,

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and visited medical clinics in Berlin and Dresden,

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from 1894 to 1896. Mary Phylinda Dole named a number of influences in her life and career, including

Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska Marie Elisabeth Zakrzewska (6 September 1829 – 12 May 1902) was a Polish-American physician who made her name as a pioneering female doctor in the United States. As a Berlin native, she found great interest in medicine after assisting her mother ...

, her mentor

Cornelia Clapp Cornelia Maria Clapp (March 17, 1849 – December 31, 1934) was an American Zoology, zoologist and educator, specializing in marine biology. She earned the first Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. in biology awarded to a woman in the United States from ...

, and

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Ki ...

Medical practice

After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Dole practiced medicine for a short time in Shelburne Falls, MA before accepting an internship and working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

until 1891. At that time, she opened a private practice in the Hovey House, which is now the Greenfield Public Library in

Greenfield, Massachusetts Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Val ...

. Dole supported Mount Holyoke College as a trustee from 1901 to 1907, and remained involved in the college community for many years. She served as a traveling "country doctor" to the area until she moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

in 1906 and established a new practice. She moved back to Massachusetts in 1919 and practiced medicine in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

until 1927.

Later life

Dole's career was cut short by health issues, and she retired from medicine in 1927 at age 65. She began a secondary career in hand-weaving, and became successful in this field as well. She worked with the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework. Dole used the funds obtained from selling her work to create a fellowship to support the education of female medical students at Mount Holyoke. The scholarship exists today as the Dr. Mary P. Dole Medical Fellowship. Funds for the scholarship were also provided by the sale of her autobiography. Dole died in her home in Shelburne in 1947 and is buried in the East Shelburne Cemetery.

Honors

In 1902, Dole was elected as a member of the Franklin District Medical Society. She was President of the Mount Holyoke Club of Franklin County and Honorary President of the Mount Holyoke Club of New Haven In 1937, she became one of the fourteen first recipients of Mount Holyoke College's Medal of Honor for her service to the college as an alumna.

Autobiography

She privately published her autobiography,
A Doctor in Homespun
', in 1941. It chronicles her life and her medical practice, focusing on her time as a "country doctor".Mullally, S. (2005). ''Unpacking the Black Bag: Rural Medicine in the Maritime Provinces and Northern New England States, 1900–1950,'' ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dole, Mary Phylinda 1862 births 1947 deaths Physicians from Connecticut Mount Holyoke College alumni American women physicians American expatriates in France American expatriates in Germany People from Shelburne, Massachusetts