Susan Ann Edson (January 4, 1823November 13, 1897) was one of the first women to attend medical school, served as a Civil War Army Nurse, and was a friend and personal physician to President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

and his wife Lucretia.

Early life and education

Susan Ann Edson was born January 4, 1823, in

Fleming, New York Fleming is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,475 at the 2020 census. The name is that of General George Fleming, an early settler. Fleming is at the northern end of Owasco Lake, south of Auburn. History The ...

. She was the daughter of John Joy Edson and Sarah E. Barnes. Her sister Sarah Philena Edson (born 1818) married Sterne John Wheaton Underhill; after they divorced, Sarah retained custody of the children. Unusual for the time, Sarah retained her name and sued to have her children's last names changed to Edson. Sarah published a women's rights newspaper. Susan Ann Edson attended two colleges, Eclectic College of Cincinnati and Cleveland Homeopathic College. She graduated from Cincinnati in 1853 and then proceeded to earn her additional degree from Cleveland on March 1, 1854. She was one of the first women to attend medical school. Accounts suggest she may have been the seventh woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

Career

After graduation, Dr. Edson opened a practice in either

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

or in her hometown in New York. When the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

began Edson joined the nursing corps, together with her sisters. She served in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and also at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, a small Union outpost surrounded by Confederate territory. Dr. Edson also served during the war at the Union Hotel Hospital in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

. Edson improved sanitation and reduced the mortality rate significantly at the hospital. Immediately after the war, Dr. Edson returned to her home in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

and maintained a practice there. On May 23, 1872, she returned to Washington, D.C., where she remained the rest of her life. In Washington, she ran a large practice, and it was said that she made so many house visits that she "wore out more horses and carriages than any other doctor in town." Edson specialized in treating illnesses of women.

Personal life

Edson never married. She was lifelong friends with Caroline B. Winslow. They attended medical school together, served together during the Civil War, and both moved to Washington after the war. Winslow and Edson together worked for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

Relationship with the Garfields

Among Dr. Edson's patients in Washington was Neddy Garfield, son of young Congressman

, who had fallen seriously ill. James and Lucretia Garfield grew close to Dr. Edson during this time, and shared their grief with her after Neddy's death. Their professional relationship continued after Garfield's election as president in 1880. Lucretia was frail and required frequent medical attention. Edson became a familiar presence in the White House, as she cared for the First Lady during a bout of malaria in May 1881. Just months later, in July 1881, President Garfield was shot by assassin

Charles J. Guiteau Charles Julius Guiteau ( ; September 8, 1841June 30, 1882) was an American man who assassinated James A. Garfield, president of the United States, on July 2, 1881. Guiteau falsely believed he had played a major role in Garfield's election vic ...

. A team of physicians was called to help the president, led by

Doctor Willard Bliss Doctor Willard Bliss (August 18, 1825 – February 21, 1889; his given name was ''Doctor'') was an American physician and pseudo-expert in ballistic trauma, who treated President James A. Garfield after his shooting in July 1881 until his de ...

. Also called into assistance were Dr. Edson and a cousin of Garfield's, Dr. Silas A. Boynton. Edson was by Garfield's side more than any other physician with encouragement from Lucretia and the children who referred to Edson as, "Dr. Edson, full of Med'cin!" Although Lucretia insisted that Edson be by Garfield's side, Edson was limited by Bliss. Within a three-month period of medical treatment to Garfield, Bliss did not take Edson's advice one time. Included in this advice was both Edson's and Boynton's opinions on the improper treatment of Garfield in regard to his preexisting conditions. Both Edson and Boynton, from being so close with Garfield, had knowledge about his previous stomach complications which were blatantly ignored by Bliss, causing further risk to Garfield and a continuation of treatment methods that were considered more dangerous given the President's state. As Garfield's state was worsening and Bliss repeatedly resorted to inefficient treatment and held a constant dismissive attitude towards Edson, Edson left Elberon, New Jersey. The remaining physicians, including Boynton and Bliss, worked with Garfield until his eventual death in September, 1881. Following Garfields' death, the team of physicians, including Edson, Boynton, and Bliss, sent in a compensation demand to Congress for their medical services to the President. Edson and Boynton were able to receive portions of the distribution at Mrs. Garfield's request. Initially, Bliss demanded $25,000, Edson $10,000, and Boynton $4,500. Due to Bliss's controversial treatment of the President, Congress disapproved the demand, resulting in Bliss receiving only $6,500 and Edson receiving only $3,000. For the same services, the 6 male physicians that worked alongside Edson all received, with the exception of Boynton, over double what Edson received.

Death and burial

Susan Edson died on November 13, 1897, "caused by an affection of the heart." Obituaries published at the time of her death called her the "one of the best-known physicians in the United States." She was buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stree ...

on November 14.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edson, Susan 1823 births 1897 deaths People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery American Civil War nurses American women nurses Physicians from New York (state) Physicians from Washington, D.C. Assassination of James A. Garfield American women's rights activists Women in the American Civil War American homeopaths People from Fleming, New York 19th-century American women physicians 19th-century American physicians