Mary Phylinda Dole | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1862-08-31)August 31, 1862 |
| Died | February 23, 1947(1947-02-23) (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Mount Holyoke College |
| Occupation | physician |
Mary Phylinda Dole (August 31, 1862 – February 23, 1947)[1] was anAmerican physician who practiced medicine in New England and was the first to earn a bachelor's degree atMount Holyoke College.[2] She is thought to be the first female physician to have practiced at Franklin County Public Hospital, now known as Baystate Franklin Medical Center.[3]
Mary Phylinda Dole was born in 1862 to George Carpenter Dole, a farmer, and Philinda Field Dole inShelburne, Massachusetts.[4] After the deaths of both parents, in 1871 she moved to live with a relative inAshfield, Massachusetts, where she attended a local school and then Sanderson Academy.[4] She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary between 1881 and 1884 before graduating in 1886.[2] Dole then studied medicine at the Women's Medical College of Baltimore from 1886 to 1888, earning her M.D. in just two years.[2] She attended Mount Holyoke again, nowMount Holyoke College, from 1888 to 1889 after the school received its college charter and became the first graduate to complete a Bachelor of Science degree there.[2] Dole spent additional time studying at thePasteur Institute in Paris,France and visited medical clinics in Berlin and Dresden,Germany from 1894 to 1896.[2]
Mary Phylinda Dole named a number of influences in her life and career, includingMarie Elizabeth Zakrzewska,[5] her mentorCornelia Clapp,[6] andElizabeth Blackwell.[5]
After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Dole practiced medicine for a short time inShelburne Falls, MA before accepting an internship and working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children inBoston until 1891.[7][8] At that time, she opened a private practice in the Hovey House, which is now the Greenfield Public Library inGreenfield, Massachusetts.[9] Dole supported Mount Holyoke College as a trustee from 1901 to 1907, and remained involved in the college community for many years.[8] She served as a traveling "country doctor" to the area until she moved toNew Haven, Connecticut in 1906 and established a new practice.[2] She moved back to Massachusetts in 1919 and practiced medicine inNorthampton until 1927.[8]
Dole's career was cut short by health issues, and she retired from medicine in 1927 at age 65.[10] She began a secondary career in hand-weaving, and became successful in this field as well.[2] She worked with the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework.[11] Dole used the funds obtained from selling her work to create a fellowship to support the education of female medical students at Mount Holyoke.[10] The scholarship exists today as the Dr. Mary P. Dole Medical Fellowship.[12] Funds for the scholarship were also provided by the sale of her autobiography.[2] Dole died in her home in Shelburne in 1947 and is buried in the East Shelburne Cemetery.[4][13]
In 1902, Dole was elected as a member of the Franklin District Medical Society.[14]
She was President of the Mount Holyoke Club of Franklin County and Honorary President of the Mount Holyoke Club of New Haven[15]
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.[16]
She privately published her autobiography,A Doctor in Homespun, in 1941.[2] It chronicles her life and her medical practice, focusing on her time as a "country doctor".[17]
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