TRUST ME – I’M A
DOCTOR
In 1812 a Young man called James Barry received his medical degree from Edinburgh University Great Britain . After graduating, he
moved to London
where he studied surgery at Guy’s Hospital. After that, the popular young
doctor joined the army and over the next forty years had a brilliant career as
an army medical doctor, working in many far off counties and fighting
successfully for improved conditions in hospitals. It was a remarkable career –
made even more remarkable by the discovery upon his death that he was in fact a
she. James Barry was a woman.
No one was more surprised at this discovery than her many friends and
colleagues. It is true that throughout her life people had remarked upon her
small size, slight build, and smooth pale face. One officer had even objected
to her appointed as a medical assistant because he could not believe that Barry
was old enough to have graduated from medical school. But no one had ever
seriously suggested that Barry was anything other than a man.
By all accounts Barry was a pleasant and good humored person with high
cheek bones, reddish hair, a long nose, and large eyes. She was well liked by
her patients and had a reputation for great speed in the operating room – an
important quality at a time when operations were preformed without anesthetic.
She was also quick tempered. When she was working in army hospitals and prisons
overseas, the terrible conditions often made her very angry. She fought hard
against injustice and cruelty, and her temper sometimes got her into trouble
with the authorities. After a long career overseas, she returned to London
where she died in 1865. While the undertaker’s assistant was preparing her body
for burial, she discovered that James Barry was a woman.
So why did James Barry deceive people for so long? At that time a woman
could not study medicine, work as a doctor, or join the army. Perhaps Barry had
always wanted to do these things and pretending to be a man was the only way to
make it possible. Perhaps she was going to tell the truth one day, but didn’t
because she was enjoying her life as a man too much. Whatever the reason,
Barry’s deception was successful. By the time it was discovered that she had
been the first woman in Britain
to qualify as a doctor, it was too late, for the authorities to do anything
about it.
QUESTIONS:
Decide if these statements are true or false:
(1) James Barry pretended to be a man
because there
were no women doctors.
(2) She worked to improve conditions in
hospitals.
(3) Many people suspected that she was a
woman.
(4) She
performed operations very slowly
and
carefully.
(5) The army
authorities discovered that she
was a
woman while she was working
aboard.
Number the events in the order in which they happened.
- James Barry joined the army.
_____
- The undertaker’s assistant found out James Barry was a woman.
______
- James Barry died. ______
- James Barry graduated from medical school. ______
- James Barry pretended to be man. __
- James Barry wanted to be a doctor. _
- James Barry returned to London. __
ANSWERS:
Decide if these statements are true or false:
(1) James Barry pretended to be a man
because
there were no women doctors.
TRUE
(2) She worked to improve conditions in
hospitals.
TRUE
(3) Many people suspected that she was a
woman.
FALSE
(4) She
performed operations very slowly
and
carefully.
FALSE
(5) The army
authorities discovered that she
was a
woman while she was working
aboard.
FALSE
Number the events in the order in which they happened.
- James Barry joined the army. (4)
- The undertaker’s assistant found out James Barry was a woman. (7)
- James Barry died. (6)
- James Barry graduated from medical school. (3)
- James Barry pretended to be man. (2)
- James Barry wanted to be a doctor. (1)
- James Barry returned to London. (5)
Hi Gerard, I like your blog very much and Im going to recommend it to my friends.
ReplyDelete