Matilda Deans "May" Baird, (née Tennent; 14 May 1901 – 16 August 1983) was a Scottish doctor and social pioneer. She was a town councillor in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, established the first free

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

there and later was the first woman to hold the position of Chair of a regional hospital board. She was National Governor of the BBC from 1965 to 1971.

Early life and education

Baird was born in

Larkhall Larkhall (, ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the Avon Water to the West. Larkhall ...

on 14 May 1901. She was educated at a local school before going on to the Glasgow High School for Girls. She studied science and medicine at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, graduating with a BSc in 1922 and an

MBChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 1924.

Career

After leaving university Baird worked as a junior doctor in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

hospitals. In 1928, she married

Dugald Baird Sir Dugald Baird FRCOG (16 November 1899 – 7 November 1986) was a British medical doctor and a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. Baird was most notable and influential in calling for the liberalising of abortion. In his delivery of the ...

, 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 ...

and

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 ...

. She and her husband moved to Aberdeen in 1936 when he took up the position of

Regius Professor A Regius Professor is a university Professor (highest academic rank), professor who has, or originally had, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Republic ...

Midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

. Her desire to reduce the hardships experienced by the poor and neglected led her being drawn into public life, and in 1938 she was elected as a Labour Party councillor for Aberdeen Town Council. From 1938 to 1954 she was Chair of the Council's Public Health Committee. She established the first free family planning clinic in the city. In 1947, she was appointed as the first female Chair of the North Eastern Regional Hospital Board, with which she served until 1960. In 1951, she served as a member of the Royal Commission on the law of marriage and divorce. She was the BBC's National Governor for Scotland 1965−1971. She was a member of the Maternity Services Review Committee of the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

Personal life

She had two daughters and two sons. Her daughter

Joyce Baird Joyce Elizabeth Leslie Baird (8 December 1929 – 3 October 2015) was a British trade unionist. Baird studied at The Abbey School, Reading, then at Newnham College, Cambridge, before training as a secretary. In 1952, she worked briefly as se ...

worked as a doctor specialising in

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

at the

Western General Hospital The Western General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility at Craigleith, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian. History The hospital was designed by Peddie and Kinnear and opened as ...

in Edinburgh. Her son, Professor David Tennent Baird is Emeritus, and Senior Professorial Research Fellow at Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health and Obstetrics and Gynaecology,

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Death and legacy

Baird died on 16 August 1983. The Baird Family Hospital due to open in Aberdeen in 2024 is named for her, her husband, their daughter Joyce and son David, in recognition of the medical contributions they have made in Scotland and to the profession. The hospital will offer maternity, gynaecology, breast screening and breast surgery services, as well as a neonatal unit, a centre for reproductive medicine, an operating theatre suite and teaching facilities.

Awards and honours

In 1960, Baird received an honorary LLD from the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

. She received

Commander of the Most Excellent 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 ...

(CBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1962. In 1966, she and her husband were both awarded

Freedom of the City of Aberdeen Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" ...

. An Aberdeen street was named in her honour. She and her husband are commemorated by a plaque at 38 Albyn Place, their home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, May Alumni of the University of Glasgow 20th-century Scottish medical doctors 1901 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Scottish women medical doctors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire BBC governors