Clara Marshall (May 8, 1847 – March 13, 1931) was an American physician, educator, and author. She was dean of the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established ...

from 1888 to 1917.

Early life and education

Clara Marshall was born in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the ...

, the daughter of prominent

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

Mary and Pennock Marshall. She initially worked as a schoolteacher, and at age 24 she enrolled in the

. Her instructors included

Rachel Bodley Rachel Littler Bodley (December 7, 1831 – June 15, 1888) was an American professor, botanist, and university leader. She was best known for her term as Dean of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1874–1888). She helped found the Am ...

(chemistry), Ann Preston (physiology), Emeline Horton Cleveland (obstetrics), and Mary Scarlett-Dixon (anatomy). She graduated with a degree in medicine in 1875, and due to her exceptional skill was immediately made a demonstrator of '' materia medica'' and therapeutics. Some members of the college board disputed Marshall's appointment due to her lack of experience, but she was able to overcome their objections. To further her knowledge of the subject, she attended lectures at the

Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...

in 1876, becoming the first woman to do so. After this she was made a professor of ''materia medica'' and therapeutics at the Woman's Medical College, a title she would retain until 1905.

Career

In 1882 Marshall was the first woman to join the faculty of

Blockley Medical College The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was a charity hospital and poorhouse located in West Philadelphia. It originally opened in 1732/33 in a different part of the city as the Philadelphia Almshouse (not to be con ...

, as a demonstrator in obstetrics. In her 1897 book ''The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania: An Historical Outline'', she praised chairman John Huggard for offering her the opportunity, writing: "To this gentleman, more than to any other, belongs the honor of extending more fully to women the clinical advantages of this great hospital." In 1886 she became an attending physician at the Girls' Department of the

Philadelphia House of Refuge The Glen Mills Schools is a youth detention center for juvenile delinquents located near Glen Mills in Thornbury Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, for boys between 12 and 21 years of age. The school was founded in 1826

. Marshall became dean of the Woman's Medical College in 1888, after the death of Rachel Bodley. During her tenure, her achievements included expanding degree programs from three to four years, increasing the number of subjects taught, and instituting an entrance exam. In 1896 she oversaw the establishment of the first professorship in bacteriology and a laboratory for its instruction. She encouraged students to author academic papers, and in 1895 compiled a list of over 500 such publications. In 1904, Marshall's fundraising efforts resulted in the construction of Pavilion Hospital on the college grounds. From 1907 to 1913 this was expanded to the larger College Hospital. She retired as dean in 1917 and worked in private practice until shortly before her death from

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis, which ...

in 1931. Marshall was a member of organizations such as the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania, and the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's stat ...

. She was a founding member of the New Century Club, and advocated for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, 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 gran ...

and the admission of women to medical societies. She was a school board member and a school director in Philadelphia's Eighth Ward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Clara 1847 births 1931 deaths American Quakers Physicians from Philadelphia American women physicians Deaths from arteriosclerosis People from West Chester, Pennsylvania School board members in Pennsylvania Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Women academic administrators American academic administrators