Elsie Inglis

British physician Elsie Maude Inglis (1864–1917) was one of the first British female doctors. During World War I, she helped establish hospitals, staffed entirely by women, throughout Europe that cared for wounded soldiers. She was also an active suffragist who advocated for women's political freedom.

Inglis, the future British female physician and women's rights advocate, was born at Naini Tal hill station in India on August 18, 1824. Her father, John Inglis, was employed in the Indian civil service, serving as the commissioner of Rohilcund District. Her mother, Harriet Thompson, was the daughter of an Indian civilian.

Inglis reportedly had a happy childhood and enjoyed traveling and camping throughout the Indian countryside. She enjoyed a very strong relationship with her father, who would help guide her during her subsequent medical education and early career. Even though Inglis, who spent her childhood in both India and the United Kingdom, was raised in the male-dominated Victorian society, in which women were limited to roles of wives and mothers, her father believed that a daughter's education was just as important as a son's. Thus, Inglis was able to pursue her early ambition to enter the medical profession.

In 1878, when Inglis was fourteen years old, her father retired from his civil service job, and the Inglis family returned to its former home country of Scotland, settling in Edinburgh. In 1882, John Inglis sent his daughter to Paris for a year of schooling. Shortly after she returned from France, Inglis lost her mother to scarlet fever. She then assumed the household responsibilities and provided her father with companionship and comfort during his final years.

Improved Women's Health Care

Inglis began her medical studies at the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, a revolutionary institution established by Doctor Sophie Jex Blake. Then, in 1891, Inglis took a positive step toward furthering her career when she entered the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, studying under Sir William McEwen. The facility was better equipped than the Edinburgh school to provide clinical education for its medical students, and Inglis passed her examinations for triple qualification (as a doctor, surgeon and educator). The following year, in London, England, she became a house surgeon and teacher at the New Hospital for Women, appointed by the facility's founder, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.

While practicing in London, Inglis became greatly concerned about the existing poor standard of care and lack of specialization for the care of female patients. Intent on improving medical care for women, she helped establish a maternity hospital and midwifery resource center for destitute women in Edinburgh. Originally called the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, the facility, which was staffed entirely by women, eventually became the Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital, and Inglis often waived fees for medical services and even paid for patients' continuing treatment.

Advocated Women's Rights

During this period, Inglis, an advocate of women's political freedom, became actively involved in the suffrage movement, which sought to provide women the right to vote in local and national elections. She joined the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies in 1906 and helped set up the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation. She founded the Federation in part to help advance the improvement of women's medical care. As part of her suffrage activities, she organized meetings throughout Scotland, gave lectures and essentially made herself available wherever help for the cause was needed.

After her father died, a loss which left a gaping hole in her life, Inglis filled the void with her medical work and her suffrage activities.

In November of 1899, the Edinburgh maternity hospital moved to Bruntsfield Lodge. That same year, the Medical Women's Club, which was then headed by Inglis, opened the George Square Nursing Home, a seven-bed hospital. In1904 the Home was renamed the Hospice, and its expressed goal was to provide assistance to destitute women in Edinburgh during their pregnancies. In 1910, the Hospice merged with the Brunstfield Hospital. The move seemed a logical one, as the two facilities already shared staff in a cooperative arrangement: Bruntsfield performed medical, surgical and gynecological work, while the Hospice performed obstetrics and infant work. Both facilities benefited from the involvement of Scotland's best-known and highly skilled female medical professionals, and both sought to provide medical care for women, as well as practical experience to aspiring female doctors.

Established Medical Units in World War I

As much as Inglis contributed to women's care and health care in general, however, it was her medical efforts related to World War I that gained her the greatest notoriety. When the war broke out in Europe in August of 1914, Inglis wanted to create medical units, staffed by women, to treat wounded soldiers on the war's Western Front. The British government essentially rejected her idea. At the start of the war, most people thought the conflict would be short-lived and that victory celebrations would be held before the end of a year.

However, the French government was much more prescient and receptive. In 1914, Inglis, working with her Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation, went to France and, within three months after the start of the war, she helped set up the Abbaye de Royaumont hospital, housed at the thirteenth-century Royaumont Abbey. The medical facility included nearly 200 beds. Her team included renowned female medical professionals such as Evelina Haverfield, Ishobel Ross and Cicely Hamilton. The circumstances and conditions, however, were appalling. In 1917, a second French hospital was established at Villers Cotterets.

Eventually, Inglis would set up fourteen medical units. These included organized women's medical units in Serbia, Salonika, Romania, Malta, Corsica, and Russia. At first, Inglis remained at home in the British Isles, where she oversaw all hospital operations. Later, she served in Serbia, where she tried to improve hygiene.

She had to take command of the Serbian unit herself when its acting head came down with diphtheria. The hospital was situated at Kraguievatz, and it was established to fight typhus, a pernicious disease that was widespread in Serbia in 1915. Inglis arrived at Kraguievatz in May of that year and found that the unit had taken on 250 more beds than the original 300 it was designed to handle. The typhus epidemic had dictated the increased capacity.

Conditions in Serbia were reportedly horrifying. Patient wards were overcrowded, with little space existing between the straw beds. Two patients were assigned to each bed, placed head to feet to save space. Sanitation was negligible, and patients were fed a poor diet. Patients close to death would arrive at the hospital in filthy wagons. Sometimes the sick had to be turned away. Inglis had to battle with Serbian officials to prevent overcrowding. Still, after putting up a strong fight, she often set up makeshift accommodations outside the hospital, to care for even more patients. Despite the conditions, Inglis' efforts were successful in helping to reduce typhus and other epidemics.

Captured by German Army

In the summer of 1915, during a major Austrian offensive, Inglis was captured but, eventually, with the help of American diplomats, British authorities were able to negotiated for the release of Inglis and her medical staff.

Her capture came about when Serbia was besieged by German and Austrian troops. Inglis was compelled to evacuate Kraguievatz, where she was then stationed, and she and the members of her unit made their way to Krushevatz, taking with them as much equipment as they could carry. When Sir Ralph Paget, the British Red Cross commissioner at the time, went to Krushevatz to make arrangements for the evacuation of her hospital, Inglis refused to budge, and defiantly told him that she would not leave.

When the Germans finally arrived, she was taken prisoner. For several months, she was allowed to continue her work. Then she was sent to Vienna and Zurich. Finally, she returned home. For a few months, she conducted her work from the two committee bases in London and Edinburgh.

Became Ill in Russia

Afterward, Inglis gained permission to raise funds for a hospital unit and transport section, to be staffed by eighty women, in Russia. In 1916, Inglis began working there, working long hours and under horrendous health conditions. In Russia, she witnessed even more of the horrors of war. Following a Russian retreat, all semblance of civilization seemed to have broken down. The countryside was overrun with soldiers who had been separated from their regiments, and crowds of refugees filled the streets, fleeing in panic.

Russian officials greatly appreciated the work performed by Inglis and her staff, and they tried to make Inglis as comfortable as was humanly possible. However, Inglis still endured profound hardships, which were beginning to take a physical toll. As each day passed, she appeared to lose strength.

Not surprisingly, she became ill and was forced to return to England, where she died on November 26, 1917, only one day after her arrival in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

It was reported that when she was traveling home, despite her poor health, she planned the organization of yet another hospital unit. In addition, during this journey home, and despite excruciating pain and her bedridden condition, she continued overseeing hospital operations.

The night before the transport arrived at Newcastle, Inglis' health took a turn for the worse. Still, she insisted on getting to her feet the following morning, so that she could say goodbye to her Serbian staff. When she left the boat, she was described as "a splendid and dignified figure, dressed in her worn uniform coat, and wearing her faded service ribbons, her face ashen and drawn with pain," according to her biography on the Electric Scotland website.

By the time she reached her hotel, she was in a state of complete exhaustion. She was treated by local doctors, who were unable to save her from the complications that arose from an infection.

Honored After Death

After Inglis died, her body lay in state at St. Giles in Edinburgh. She was buried in Dean Cemetery, in Edinburgh. At her burial, the flags of Great Britain and Serbia were placed on her coffin, and the lilies of France were placed around her body. Historic Scottish banners were placed over her head. Serbian officers lowered her coffin into her grave.

After her death, Winston Churchill wrote that Inglis and her nurses "would shine forever in history." Also, as recorded by the Welcome to Scotland website, Arthur Balfour, Foreign Secretary for Britain at the time of her death, and a fellow Scot, commented that Inglis was "a wonderful compound of enthusiasm, strength of purpose and kindliness. In the history of this World War, alike by what she did and by the heroism, driving power and the simplicity by which she did it, Elsie Inglis has earned an everlasting place of honour."

After her death, Inglis was recognized as someone who demonstrated a great deal of compassion, yet at times could be a demanding stickler, one who was quick to anger. She could be a fearsome figure for both patients and her staff.

Ironically enough, Inglis, a fierce advocate of women's political rights, never was able to cast a vote in an election. Shortly before her death, women over the age of 30 were finally granted the right to vote, but Inglis wouldn't live long enough to participate.

Online

"Elsie Inglis," Welcome to Scotland, http://www.fife.50megs.com/elsie-inglis.htm (December 22, 2005).

"Elsie Maud Inglis," Electric Scotland, http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/wh53.htm (December 22, 2005).

"Famous Scots-Elsie Inglis (1864–1917), rampantscotland.com, http://www.rampantscotland.com/famous/blfaminglis.htm (December 22, 2005).

"Notable Individuals of the Great War," The Western Front Association, http://www.westernfront.co.uk/thegreatwar/articles/individuals/notableindividualsitl.htm (December 22, 2005).

"Who's Who: Elsie Inglis," firstworldwar.com, http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/inglis.htm (December 22, 2005).