Euthanasia Sherman Meade (September 8, 1837 – November 1, 1895) was a pioneer woman physician of the Pacific Coast. Meade was the first president of The Woman's Medical Club of California.

Early life

Euthanasia Sherman was born on September 8, 1837, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She was the niece of

General William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognition for his comm ...

. When she was 17 years old, she married a man her mother chose and shortly after moved to California. After the death of her only child in its birth, she turned to

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

, and later medicine. She returned to the East Coast and worked in hospitals during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In 1869, she graduated from the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania Founded in 1850, The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP), formally known as The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, was the first American medical college dedicated to teaching women medicine and allowing them to earn the Doctor ...

Career

When she returned to California, Meade opened a medical practice on

Mission Street Mission Street is a north-south arterial thoroughfare in Daly City and San Francisco, California that runs from Daly City's southern border to San Francisco's northeast waterfront. The street and San Francisco's Mission District through which ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She was the first regular woman physician to establish herself in California. However, due to the times, she was met with little recognition in the medical profession. She developed

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

and eventually moved to San José where she practiced for 25 years. In 1876, Meade and four other women physicians were admitted to the State Medical Society. Meade had been the first woman physician in San José, having practiced medicine there since 1869. After

Sarah Winchester Sarah "Sallie" Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee; June 4, 1839 – September 5, 1922) was an American Inheritance, heiress who amassed great wealth after the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and her mother in law, Jane Ellen Hope. W ...

, widow of

William Wirt Winchester William Wirt Winchester (June 22, 1837 – March 7, 1881) was an American and the treasurer of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, a position he held until his death in 1881. Family He was born on June 22, 1837, to Oliver Winchester and Jane ...

who owned the

Winchester Repeating Arms Company The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership ...

, moved to California and purchased a property in the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Santa Clara'') is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister, California, Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered ...

, Meade became Winchester's personal physician. Meade also trained women in the medical career, including Mary Bennett Ritter, who wrote of her experiences with Sherman in her autobiography, ''More than Gold In California'' (1933). Of Meade, Ritter wrote, "The spirit of the profession at its best was imbued in me by this indomitable, high-minded woman."

Death

Meade died November 1, 1895 due to a cerebral embolus from an

endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, o ...

. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and her ashes placed at

Cypress Lawn Cemetery Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a rural cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent". History Noble was a Civil War veteran who moved to California in 1865 and was ...

. Of her death, Ritter wrote, "Many of the poor and the rich of San Jose felt that they had lost their best friend when Dr. Euthanasia Sherman Meade died."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meade, Euthanasia Sherman 1836 births 1895 deaths Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Physicians from New Jersey 19th-century American women physicians 19th-century American physicians American Civil War nurses Physicians from California Deaths from endocarditis Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park People from San Jose, California People from San Francisco History of women in California