Michaela Anne "Dr. Mike" Quinn,

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the 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 physician. This ge ...

is a fictional character from the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

television show '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''.

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

introduced the series in 1993, and Dr. Quinn was played by

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...

. The series ran for six seasons, ending in 1998. Seymour reprised the role in two made for TV movies, ''Dr. Quinn: Revolutions'' (1999) and ''Dr. Quinn: The Heart Within'' (2001), following the series cancellation. Dr. Quinn, again played by Seymour, also made an appearance in ''California'' (1997), an unaired TV pilot for a spinoff of ''Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman'' made by CBS. Jane Seymour's portrayal of Dr. Michaela Quinn has been widely viewed as an iconic western character, earning Seymour a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

award.

Background

Michaela Quinn was born into a wealthy family in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(15/02/1833). With the encouragement of Josef Quinn, her father and a doctor in his own right, she attends 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 ...

and becomes licensed herself. Unable to find respect as a female physician in a practice of her own, she works with her father in his clinic until his death. Once again faced with discrimination as an independent, female doctor, she pursues employment outside of Boston. After being mistaken for "Michael A. Quinn", (a man) she is offered a job via

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

in the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

. Upon her arrival, the townsfolk discover the error and attempt to withdraw the offer of employment. Michaela insists, however, that she is up to the challenge, and she is reluctantly offered the job as town doctor in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. There she starts her own medical clinic in the town, in lieu of being employed by the town directly, giving her autonomy in her medical practice. She also begins actively trying to change the townfolks attitudes toward modern medicine, the

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

and other Native American peoples, and a host of other, more progressive attitudes not entirely shared by the frontier-minded residents. She adopts three children after her friend and their mother, Charlotte Cooper, was bitten by a rattlesnake and succumbs to the venom. Quinn is a very independent woman who often clashes with the townsfolk, but more often than not she is successful in changing or at the least softening their attitudes. Soon after her arrival she falls in love with a man named Byron Sully, played by

Joe Lando Joseph John Lando (born December 9, 1961) is an American actor, known for playing Jake Harrison on daytime's ''One Life to Live'' (1990–1992) and Byron Sully on the television series ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' (1993–1998). Life and c ...

, who is very interested in Native culture and spends most of his time with the Native. Her mother is devastated that her daughter has decided to leave and live in Colorado Springs, but after a visit she changes her mind and to a certain extent accepts Michaela's decision. Later, her mother again travels to Colorado to attend her wedding, giving her blessing for Michaela to marry Sully. The elder Mrs. Quinn warms to the family, even sending young Brian a poodle after his pet wolf, Pup, is killed by

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

. Her mother, Elizabeth, travels to Colorado Springs a third time, with Michaela's sisters in tow, to witness the birth of her daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Sully, who they nickname Katie.

Social issues

Dr. Mike often used her position as a doctor and care giver to seize the

moral high ground The moral high ground, in ethical or political parlance, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness. In derogatory context, the term is often u ...

and challenge the townspeople on their often narrow, conservative views of the time. Some examples include:

Racism, anti-semitism and other bigotry

After regular series characters,

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

Robert E. (portrayed by Henry G. Sanders) and his

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

wife, Grace, (

Jonelle Allen Jonelle R. Allen (born July 18, 1944) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s, Allen has co-starred in films, Broadway productions, and television. In 1972, Allen was nominated for a Tony Aw ...

) a freed-slave couple, buy a home in downtown Colorado Springs, they are immediately challenged by the banker, Jedediah Bancroft (portrayed by

George Furth George Furth (born George Schweinfurth; December 14, 1932 – August 11, 2008) was an American librettist, playwright, and actor. Life and career Furth was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of George and Evelyn (née Tuerk) Schweinfurth. He was ...

, Season 2, Episode 19, "The First Circle"). Bancroft responds to the sale of a prominent home in the town to a black couple by forming a local

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

chapter, for which it is revealed that Bancroft is a grand wizard. The townsfolk are tricked into joining, since they were only told they were joining a men's club. However, it soon becomes clear what Bancroft's true intentions are, and Quinn intervenes as some members of the town are about to hang Robert E. Chastising them for their racism while wearing their "ridiculous costumes", she pulls the hood off of Bancroft, exposing him undeniably as their leader. Shamed as a violent racist and trouble maker, Bancroft is never seen in Colorado Springs again. Michaela Quinn and her family also warmly befriend the local

people, including

Chief Black Kettle Black Kettle (Cheyenne language, Cheyenne: Mo'ohtavetoo'o) (November 27, 1868) was a leader of the Cheyenne, Southern Cheyenne during the American Indian Wars. Born to the ''Northern Só'taeo'o / Só'taétaneo'o'' band of the Northern Cheyenne i ...

(played by

Nick Ramus Nickolas George Ramus, also known and credited as Nick Ramus, (September 9, 1929 – May 30, 2007) was a Blackfoot Native American actor, best known for his appearances on television. Early life Ramus was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew u ...

), and his right-hand man, Cloud Dancing ( Larry Sellers). Dr. Quinn and her adopted family, followed shortly after by Sully, travel to

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 ...

(Season 3, Episodes 7 and 8, "The Washington Affair", Part 1 and 2) to lobby the government on behalf of the Cheyenne. They meet with Congressional leaders, testify before hearings and even meet with President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

(

Dennis Lipscomb Dennis Lipscomb (March 1, 1942 – July 30, 2014) was an American actor. Lipscomb earned an engineering degree from Clarkson University. Lipscomb's first feature film was '' Union City'' (1980). From the early 1980s to the 1990s, Lipscomb appe ...

). They are given mostly platitudes and empty promises, although Grant seems the most accommodating. After a fictional portrayal of the real-life

Battle of Washita River The Battle of the Washita River (also called Battle of the Washita or the Washita Massacre) occurred on November 27, 1868, when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked Black Kettle's Southern Cheyenne camp on the Washita ...

(Season 3, Episodes 24 and 25, "Washita"), in which Black Kettle and most of his clan are killed, Quinn has an emotional break down. Cloud Dancing is not at Washita, and therefore survives, although his wife is killed. Cloud Dancing remains a close friend of the Sully/Quinn family throughout the series. Dr. Quinn also fights for the rights of

Chinese immigrants Overseas Chinese people are people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 million people livin ...

, a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

salesman who visits the town, and other racial and religious minorities.

Censorship

The issue of censorship is dealt with on the series when Michaela Quinn's mother sends her late father's extensive book collection to Colorado Springs. Rather than keep them for herself, Dr. Quinn convinces the town to open a public library, which is named the Josef Quinn Memorial Library. Trouble soon brews, however, when the town realizes that many of the titles' subject matter stray from their traditionally conservative, Christian beliefs. Events escalate until an attempted book burning ensues. Stopped by Dr. Mike, Sully and the children, the town realizes they have gone too far and help restore the books. (Season 3, Episode 5, "The Library")

Evolution

While espousing a genuine belief in God along with most of the town, Dr. Quinn nonetheless differs with most of the town on

Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Michaela Fictional characters from Colorado Fictional characters from Boston Television characters introduced in 1993 Fictional female doctors Fictional surgeons Fictional epidemiologists Fictional obstetricians and gynaecologists Fictional ophthalmologists Fictional pediatricians American female characters in television Western (genre) heroes and heroines