Theodora Clemens Hall (née Easterfield; 12 June 1902 – 19 December 1980) was a New Zealand medical doctor. She was born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

on 12 June 1902. Her father was

Thomas Easterfield Sir Thomas Hill Easterfield (4 March 1866 – 1 March 1949) was a New Zealand chemist. Born in Doncaster, England, he was the youngest of four children of Edward Easterfield, savings bank secretary, and Susan (née Hill). He attended Doncaster G ...

, a professor of chemistry and physics, and her sister Dr Helen Deem. Hall attended

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. ...

. She graduated MB ChB from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in 1926. She became a house surgeon at Wellington Hospital, followed by two years as a registrar at Cook Hospital in Gisborne. She did post-graduate study in London in the early 1930s gaining her MRCP diploma in 1932. She was the second New Zealand woman to obtain the MRCP. She was appointed to Cook Hospital in Gisborne in 1935. In 1932 she married Dr Richard John Burnside Hall (1894–1907) who was surgeon superintendent at Cook Hospital. As surgeon and physician they were described as "the backbone of the Cook Hospital medical service". The Halls moved to

Paihia Paihia is a town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell, New Zealand, Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry Wi ...

in 1958 when Richard retired but Theodora continued to work as a physician at the Bay of Islands Hospital. She held that role until 1971.

Personal life

The Halls had three daughters. Hall died in 1980.

References

1902 births 1980 deaths Medical doctors from Wellington City 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors 20th-century New Zealand women medical doctors People educated at Wellington Girls' College {{NewZealand-med-bio-stub