Frances Dickinson (physician)
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Frances Dickinson (January 19, 1856 – May 19, 1945) was an American
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
and clubwoman who specialized in
ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
. Dickinson was the first woman received into the International Medical Congress (1887). In addition to being an active member of several medical societies, she was also a prominent woman's club participant,
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, writer, and speaker. Dickinson graduated from
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
Woman's Medical School in
Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
in 1883. She completed special courses in ophthalmology at Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Royal Ophthalmic Hospital at Moorfields,
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, and
Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barnet Ho ...
, London. She spent five months in
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
, Germany, in 1884, under the private tutorship of ''
Geheimrat was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...
'' Adolf Weber. In 1882, she
Interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
at Mary Thompson Hospital, and was an Alternate interne at
Cook County Hospital The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (shortened ''Stroger Hospital'', formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of Cook County Health, along with Provident Hospital of Cook Cou ...
through the first examination open to women, in 1883. Dickinson held various positions during her career, including as ophthalmic surgeon to Mary Thompson Hospital; President and Dean of Harvey Medical College for ten years; Professor of ophthalmology and of
angiology Angiology (from Greek , ''angeīon'', "vessel"; and , ''-logia'') is the medical specialty dedicated to studying the circulatory system and of the lymphatic system, i.e., arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels. In the UK, this field is more ...
, Harvey Medical College; Professor of ophthalmology, Post-Graduate Medical College, Chicago.


Early life and education

Frances (
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
, "Fannie") Dickinson was born in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
on January 19, 1856. She was the daughter of Albert Franklin and Ann Eliza (Anthony) Dickinson. Her father died in 1881. Dickinson's siblings included two sisters, Hannah (Mrs. Charles C. Boyles) and Melissa, and three brothers, Albert, Nathan and Charles. The brothers developed The Albert Dickinson Company of Chicago, which was the leading firm dealing in grass seeds around the world.


Ancestry

Many of Dickinson's maternal ancestors were physicians, and her paternal ancestors included a number of schoolmasters; and in both lines, ancestors frequently held
public office Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...
. The Dickinsons came originally from
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Frances' grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was the schoolmaster in his town, and one of the
selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...
. Her father, Albert F. Dickinson, was a prominent business man in Chicago for many years, and from him, Frances received every encouragement when she announced her intention of joining the medical profession, for which he deemed women especially fitted. Dickinson's mother, Ann Eliza Anthony, was a native of
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, and was active in charitable work throughout her life. She was one of the organizers of the First Society of Friends in Chicago and was an aunt of the suffragist Susan B. Anthony. The first of the Anthony family of whom there is any record is William Anthony, who was born in
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany, and came to England during the reign of
Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
. He was made Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint and Master of the Scales, continuing to hold that office through the reign of
Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...
, and part of the reign of
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
. Anthony's crest and
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were entered in the royal enumeration. Dickinson is a descendant of his son Derrick, who was the father of Dr.
Francis Anthony Francis Anthony (16 April 1550 – 26 May 1623) was a 16th-century physician and chemist. His father, Derrick Anthony, was a goldsmith in London, employed in the jewel office of Queen Elizabeth. He attended the University of Cambridge, receiving ...
, born in London in 1550. He graduated from the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
with the degree of Master of Arts, and became famous as a physician and chemist. He was in continual conflict with the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Francis Anthony had a daughter and two sons, both of whom became distinguished as physicians, and John, the elder son, founded the American branch of the family. His son, John Anthony, Jr., born in Hempstead, England, sailed for America in the ship ''Hercules'' on April 16, 1634, at the age of 27. He settled in
Portsmouth, Rhode Island Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence Plantations, Provide ...
, where he was a landowner, innkeeper and public official. He had five children and 43 children, among whom was Abraham. Abraham Anthony had thirteen children, one of whom, William Anthony, Jr., had four children, among whom was David. David married Judith Hicks, and they moved from
Dartmouth, Massachusetts Dartmouth (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Old Dartmouth was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts to be settled by Europeans in 1652, primarily English. Dartmouth ...
, and then to Berkshire, Massachusetts, settling near the Adams foot of
Mount Greylock Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,489 feet (1,063 meters). Located in the northwest region of the state, it is part of the Taconic Mountains, a geologically distinct range from the nearby Berkshire Mountains, Berkshire ...
. They had nine children, of whom Humphrey Anthony, the second son, born February 2, 1770, at Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was the father of Ann Eliza Anthony, mother of Frances Dickinson. In her youth, Dickinson was associated with
Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
, being an active worker in the Centenary
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
.


Education

Dickinson received her early education in the public schools of Chicago, graduating from the Central High School in 1875. Dicksinon worked as a public school teacher for four years before deciding to pursue a career in medicine. During her last year as a teacher, she attended a course of lectures on
physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
given by Dr.
Sarah Hackett Stevenson Sarah Ann Hackett Stevenson (February 2, 1841 – August 14, 1909) was an American physician in Illinois, and the first female member of the American Medical Association (AMA), as an Illinois State Medical Society delegate in ...
at the Chicago Woman's Medical College, with the original purpose of qualifying herself to teach physiology. However, she soon decided to take a complete course in medicine and reportedly received warm support from her family. In 1880, she matriculated at the Woman's Medical College of Chicago, graduating with honors in 1883. Dickinson served as intern in the
Women's and Children's Hospital The Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) is a hospital dedicated to the care of women and children in Adelaide, South Australia. It was established in March 1989, when the Queen Victoria Hospital and Adelaide Children's Hospital were amalgamate ...
, under Dr. Mary Harris Thompson. Having decided to specialize in ophthalmology, she took a course in othalmology at the Illinois State Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago. Dickinson concluded to continue her studies farther before entering upon independent practice. In the fall of 1883, Dickinson went abroad with her brother, spending fourteen months as student and tourist in Scotland, England, France, Algiers, Tunis, Sicily, Switzerland and Germany. In London, she studied under the surgeon, Dr. Cooper, in the Royal Ophthalmic Hospital at Moorfields, and also attended the ophthalmic clinics at the Royal Free Hospital, in
Gray's Inn Road Gray's Inn Road (or Grays Inn Road) is an important road in Central London, located in the London Borough of Camden. The road begins at its junction with Holborn at the City of London boundary, passes north through the Holborn and King's Cross ...
. While in Darmstadt, Germany, she was, for five months, under the private tutorship of Dr. Adolf Weber, who had a large private clinic and hospital of sixty beds attached to his home.


Career

Upon her return to Chicago, Dickinson was active in the practice of ophthalmology, quickly gaining prominence in her field. She was considered the leading woman practitioner in her specialty in the
western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
. At one time, she enjoyed the distinction of being the only woman engaged as a post-graduate instructor in Ophthalmology, filling that chair in the Chicago Post-Graduate School of Medicine. For some time, she was Secretary of Harvey Medical College, a
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
institution, and later served as its President, where she also filled the Chair of Ophthalmology. Dickinson was an active member of the City and State Medical Societies, as well as the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...
, the Chicago Ophthalmological Society, the
American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...
, and the Chicago Academy of Sciences. She was the first woman received into the International Medical Congress, in which she was admitted to membership at its ninth convention, held in 1887, at
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Prior to 1887, women has been denied membership, in spite of the fact that the congresses were held in foreign cities where women were not allowed equal privileges with men at the universities. Apart from her professional success, Dickinson ranked among the progressive women of the day for intellectual vigor displayed in her association with various good works. Her many philanthropic interests received the same attention as she gave to her regular professional work. During the
World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
, Dickinson was a member of the board of lady managers. She and Waite, were the originators of the Queen Isabella Association, which was formed for the purpose of commemorating the labors of Queen Isabella in assisting and encouraging
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
. The material result of their work was the statue executed by Harriet Hosmer. Dickinson and Waite were also associated in another work of practical benefit. At the time of the
Johnstown Flood The Johnstown Flood, sometimes referred to locally as the Great Flood of 1889, occurred on Friday, 31 May 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, upstream of th ...
, they formed the first medical union composed of women of the various schools of medicine, the Illinois Medical Women's Sanitary Association, which sent Drs. Katharine Bushnell, Alice Ewing, and later Rachel Hickey, to the scene of the disaster. They were among the first on the ground to commence the work of relief, and remained there seven weeks. She was an author of articles and pamphlets on
Refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one transmission medium, medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commo ...
, Education of Adults at Night, College Entrance Requirements, Fundamentals of Education, Organization,
Vocational Education Vocational education is education that prepares people for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...
, Complete College and University Courses for Adults in the Evening,
Pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
in Medical Schools. While in Chicago, Dickinson lived at the Auditorium Hotel.


Clubwoman

Dickinson served on the Member Board of Lady Managers,
World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
, Chicago, 1892-93. She was a Member of Chicago Physicians' Club, American Medical Association, Chicago Ophthalmological Society, Ninth International Medical Congress of Physicians and Surgeons, meeting at Washington in 1887 and first woman to be admitted to this International organization. Member of Chicago Woman's Club since 1886. She was a delegate to General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1900 at
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 ...
and in 1902, at
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Dickinson also served as President of Social Economics Club for five successive years. In 1902, while in that role, she proposed making a study of marriage customs of all nations, of all times, hoping thus to cope with the problems of the times. She stated, "When people marry, they should have two contracts -- one to satisfy the demands of the church and the other a contract just among themselves. In it each should agree to release the other whenever called upon to do so." She was a Member of American Association of Political Science; National Educational Association; Women's Medical Club; National Vocational Association; Women's Federal Labor Union No. 2703, 1887; Illinois Woman's Alliance (first delegated body of women in Chicago); Medical Women's Sanitary Association (first organization of physicians from all schools of medicine); member of the International Medical Woman's Congress at Chicago, 1893; Secretary Queen Isabella Association, World's Fair, Chicago; and Trustee Chicago Academy of Sciences. She was elected president of the Artcraft Institute Guild in 1914.


Later life

In 1906, in need to recuperate her health after a severe strain of overwork in Chicago, Dickinson removed to Florida. She was instrumental in opening a new field of commerce for the U.S. by inducing the Federal government to establish the
camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...
experiment station of the
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
at Orange City. Her brother, Albert Dickinson, of Chicago, gave in 1908 for the establishment of the station. Her homestead in Orange City was named, "Aranoana Lodge". In July 1923, Dickinson was a delegate to the
National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP ...
conference in
Seneca Falls, New York Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 9,027 at the 2020 census. The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the north ...
where the proposed
Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
was presented by
Alice Paul Alice Stokes Paul (January 11, 1885 – July 9, 1977) was an American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the Unit ...
. Dickinson, a cousin of Susan B. Anthony seconded the proposal. Dickinson died in Orange City, May 19, 1945. She was buried at
Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...
in Chicago.


References


Attribution

* * *


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, Frances 1856 births 1945 deaths 19th-century American women physicians 19th-century American physicians 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians 19th-century American women writers American medical writers American women founders Clubwomen Burials at Rosehill Cemetery American women medical writers