Marie K. Formad (1860 – February 21, 1944) was a Russian-born American physician based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Early life

Formad was born in Russia. She moved to the United States in 1883. Her older brother (sometimes mistakenly referred to as her father) Henry F. Formad was a pathology professor on the faculty at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, and served as Coroner's Physician in Philadelphia. Another brother, Robert Julius Formad, was also a pathologist, an expert on veterinary oncology. Marie Formad 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 ...

in 1886, with a thesis titled "Some Notes on Criminal Abortion".

Career

Formad was elected to the post of vaccine physician for Philadelphia's Eleventh District in 1887. She worked for 52 years at Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia, as a teaching surgeon, gynecologist, and pathologist. She was the first woman member of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia. With Calista V. Luther and two other women doctors, she ran an evening dispensary, the Medical Aid Society for Self-Supporting Women, to treat working women at a more convenient time than other clinics. She retired in 1938. During

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 ...

, Formad accepted a commission as a surgeon in the French army in 1917. She served fourteen months, from January 1918 to March 1919, in a Women's Overseas Hospital (WOH) unit in France. She directed and performed surgery a 125-bed refugee hospital at Labouheyre, supported by the

National Woman Suffrage Association The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed on May 15, 1869, to work for women's suffrage in the United States. Its main leaders were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was created after the women's rights movement spl ...

, working alongside doctors Laura E. Hunt and

Mabel Seagrave Mabel Alexandria Seagrave (January 3, 1882 – November 10, 1935) was an American medical doctor who was sent to France by the National American Woman Suffrage Association to staff a refugee hospital during World War I. Dr. Seagrave stayed on aft ...

. The hospital grew under Formad's direction, and served about 10,000 refugees during its existence; two of the American nurses at Labouheyre, Winifred Warder and Eva Emmons, died from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

there. After the armistice, Formad went to Nancy to work as a surgeon caring for repatriating French civilians. She received the Medaille d'honneur from the French government for her wartime service.

Personal life

Marie Formad cared for her older brother Henry in his last months; he died in 1892. She died in 1944, aged 83 years, in Philadelphia. She left her estate mainly to her two nieces, Marie and Charlotte.

References

External links

An undated portrait of Marie Formad
in the collection of the

Drexel University College of Medicine Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: Hahnemann Medical College, orig ...

Archives and Special Collections. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Formad, Marie K. 1860 births 1944 deaths 19th-century American women physicians 19th-century American physicians American women in World War I Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States