Bertha E. Reynolds
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Bertha E. Reynolds (May 22, 1868 – October 31, 1961), known in her community as "Dr. Bertha," was a rural medical doctor in south central Wisconsin, and one of the state's first licensed female physicians, practicing medicine in and around Lone Rock and Avoca from 1902 to 1953.


Youth and education

Bertha Elizabeth Reynolds was born in
Thiensville, Wisconsin Thiensville is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the west bank of a bend in the Milwaukee River, the community is bordered on all sides by the City of Mequon and is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. T ...
, in 1868. Her parents, John and Margaret Reynolds, had migrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Quebec, Canada, three years earlier. Reynolds grew up in
Ozaukee County Ozaukee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,503. Its county seat is Port Washington. Ozaukee County is included in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. As of the 2000 Census, Ozaukee Co ...
, Wisconsin, on her family's farm. In 1892, the Reynolds family moved to
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
, where Bertha enrolled in the Lincoln Normal School, afterwards working briefly as a teacher. But she had long harbored a desire to become a doctor, as nine other members of her family (both brothers and cousins) had done. One cousin, Walter H. Neilson, the first dean of the medical school at Marquette University, discouraged her, indicating that medicine was an inappropriate career for women. She matriculated at the
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, where she was also discouraged from pursuing the MD. In 1898, thirty-year-old Reynolds nevertheless enrolled in the Woman's Hospital Medical College of Chicago; she completed her MD in 1901.


Medical practice

Upon graduation she returned to Wisconsin, joining the
Lone Rock, Wisconsin Lone Rock is a village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rura ...
(
Richland County, Wisconsin Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,304. Its county seat is Richland Center. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1842 and organized in 1850. It is named f ...
) practice of a brother, Dr. Nelson Reynolds (1872-1910). When Nelson Reynolds relocated to
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, Wisconsin, Dr. Bertha Reynolds became the area's only physician, her practice predating by about twenty years the better-known work of another pioneering Wisconsin physician, Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb). A 1923 incident in which Reynolds, unable to reach patients due to Spring flooding, drafted then-unknown aviator
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
to transport her to patients across the Wisconsin River, has been well remembered by residents. Dr. Reynolds would sometimes take elderly patients into her own home until they were well enough to care for themselves. In the 1930s she also served on the Richland County Children's Board. Reynolds attempted to retire in 1940, moving to
Avoca, Wisconsin Avoca is a village in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named after Avoca in Ireland. Geography Avoca is located at (43.183853, -90 ...
, but when that town's only physician was called to service in World War II, she returned to work, serving Avoca patients until her second retirement in 1953.


Later years and memorialization

Reynolds received several awards during her lifetime, including a Distinguished Service Award from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
. She died October 31, 1961, at the age of 93, and is buried in the Little Brown Church cemetery in Bear Valley. The town of Lone Rock dedicated a park to her memory; a street in Lone Rock has been named for her as well. Her medical apparatus, including her bag and scalpels, were donated to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.


References


Bibliography

*Thayer, Earl R. and Steve Bussalachi. “First in their class: Wisconsin's pioneering women physicians.” ''Wisconsin Academy Review'' (Spring 2005), 51-62. *Coopey, Judith Redline. "A Life of Service." Wisconsin Trails, Vol 18, No.3, (Autumn 1977), 30. *Coopey, Judith Redline. "She Flew With Lindbergh" Scholastic Newstime, Vol 48, No. 27 (5 May 1977), 2. *Durbin, Richard D. The Wisconsin River: An Odyssey Through Time and Space. Spring Freshet Press, 1997. *Gard, Robert Edward. ''This is Wisconsin''. Wisconsin House, 1969. *Sherr, Lynn. ''American Women's Gazetteer''. Bantam Books, 1976. *State Medical Society of Wisconsin. ''Wisconsin Medical Journal''. Vol. 15, 1917. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Bertha E. 1868 births 1961 deaths People from Lincoln, Nebraska People from Thiensville, Wisconsin People from Richland County, Wisconsin University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Physicians from Wisconsin American women physicians People from Iowa County, Wisconsin