Florence Elizabeth, Lady Barrett, (née Perry; 1867 – 7 August 1945) was a

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

at the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton and the Royal Free Hospital in London. She was a

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

obstetrician 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 surgi ...

and eugenecist.

Early and private life

Lady Barrett was born in Henbury in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

now part of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, and she was the fourth child of merchant Benjamin Perry. She received little formal education in the early part of her life, she studied

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and

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at University College, Bristol, and graduated with a first-class BSc in 1895. She received a Bachelor of Medicine (MB) in 1900 and a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

(MD) in 1906 at the

London School of Medicine for Women The London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW) established in 1874 was the first medical school in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain to train women as doctors. The patrons, vice-presidents, and members of the committee that supp ...

. Barrett married surgeon Frederick George Ingor Willey, the son of Josiah Willey FRCS, in 1896. In 1916, Barrett married Sir William Fletcher Barrett FRS. At the time of their marriage, Sir William, aged 72, was a former Professor of Physics at the Royal College of Science for Ireland in Dublin. His research focused on psychic phenomena, and he later founded the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...

in 1882. She claimed to have conversed with her husband after his death in 1925 through the help of a third-party. She published an account of the sittings, entitled ''Personality Survives Death'', in 1937.

Medical career

Barrett qualified as a doctor in 1906. She joined the staff of the Royal Free Hospital in 1906, which was the only hospital in England where women could train in medical practice at the time. Before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she developed voluntary centres for the feeding of expectant mothers and children. She was an obstetric surgeon at the Mothers' Hospital from 1913, and an obstetric and gynaecological surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital. Barrett worked there as a surgeon at a time when operations were at their peak. In 1916, Barrett led a fund-raising campaign to extend the hospital, adding maternity, paediatric and infant welfare facilities. She helped to develop the

at the Royal Free Hospital, of which she became Dean and then President in 1937. Barrett was an active member of the Eugenics Society, and served on its council from 1917. Barrett advocated for "state interference" in the sex lives of "the unfit" to implement birth control, because she believed that

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

would be ineffective. Barrett felt that contraception should be overseen by the medical profession and expressed preference for

abstinence Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol (drug), ...

over contraception in "normal healthy individuals". She preferred to recommend the use of the rhythm method and condoms over other methods. In 1921, Barrett and other members of the Medical Women's Federation protested the decisions of

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and St Pancras councils to refuse to employ medical women who were married and whose husbands had jobs, arguing that this contravened the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. Barrett served as president of the Medical Women's Federation in 1923, and joint vice-president of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Section of the British Medical Association. She was also a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

and president of the Medical Women's International Association.

Later life

She was appointed as a CBE in the first list of awards for the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1917, and became a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1929."The New Year Honours." Times ondon, England1 March 1929: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 30 August 2013. She died in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

, and a memorial service was held at

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

. Her obituary in ''The Times'' stated "She was unquestionably one of the most distinguished of medical women". She left her husband’s library to the

, and also left £1,000 to endow a scholarship at the London School of Medicine for Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Florence 1867 births 1945 deaths Alumni of the London School of Medicine for Women Alumni of the University of Bristol British gynaecologists British obstetricians Medical doctors from Bristol British parapsychologists Presidents of the Medical Women's Federation British eugenicists People from Henbury, Bristol Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire