Louise McIlroy
Encyclopedia
Dame Anne Louise McIlroy, DBE
(11 November 1874, County Antrim
– 8 February 1968, Glasgow, Scotland), usually known as Louise McIlroy, was a British
doctor
.
Her father was Dr. James McIlroy, a medical practitioner in Ballycastle
. She followed in her father's footsteps and attended Glasgow University in 1894 to do a medical degree.
with commendation in 1900.
After further postgraduate work throughout Europe specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics she was appointed gynaecological surgeon at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow, a post she held from 1906 to 1910.
At the outbreak of the First World War she and other female medical graduates offered their services to the government. They were declined as "the battlefield .. [was] no place for women". They decided to set up the Scottish Women's Hospital for Foreign Service. Dr. Louise McIlroy commanded a unit of the hospital at Troyes, France
before being posted to Serbia
and, three years later, Salonika.
During her time in Salonika she established a nurses training school for Serbian girls and oversaw the establishment of the only orthopaedic centre in the Eastern Army. She finished her war service as a surgeon at a Royal Army Medical Corps
hospital in Constantinople
.
and Croix de Guerre
avec palme, the Serbian Order of St. Sava
, and, in 1920, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
.
and Gynaecology
at the London School of Medicine for Women
, becoming the first woman to be appointed a medical professor in United Kingdom. She also worked as a surgeon at the Marie Curie Hospital for Women during this period.
. She retired in 1934, to have, in her own words 'a few years of freedom'. After the Second World War she returned to her retirement, residing with her sister in Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(11 November 1874, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
– 8 February 1968, Glasgow, Scotland), usually known as Louise McIlroy, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Her father was Dr. James McIlroy, a medical practitioner in Ballycastle
Ballycastle, County Antrim
Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....
. She followed in her father's footsteps and attended Glasgow University in 1894 to do a medical degree.
Early career
She was one of the first women medical graduates, winning class prizes in both medicine and pathology before obtaining her MB,ChB in 1898 followed by an MDDoctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
with commendation in 1900.
After further postgraduate work throughout Europe specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics she was appointed gynaecological surgeon at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow, a post she held from 1906 to 1910.
At the outbreak of the First World War she and other female medical graduates offered their services to the government. They were declined as "the battlefield .. [was] no place for women". They decided to set up the Scottish Women's Hospital for Foreign Service. Dr. Louise McIlroy commanded a unit of the hospital at Troyes, France
Troyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
before being posted to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and, three years later, Salonika.
During her time in Salonika she established a nurses training school for Serbian girls and oversaw the establishment of the only orthopaedic centre in the Eastern Army. She finished her war service as a surgeon at a Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
hospital in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Awards
She was awarded the French Médaille des EpidemiesMédaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées
The Médaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées is a French military decoration created 30 August 1962. The medal recognizes individuals who have contributed or lent their support to the Health Service of the Armed Forces and were particularly marked by their services or their dedication...
and Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
avec palme, the Serbian Order of St. Sava
Order of St. Sava
The Order of St. Sava was a decoration instituted by the order King Milan I of Serbia in 1883. The Order of Saint Sava originally was established to recognize civilians for meritorious achievements in the arts and sciences. In 1914 a change was made permitting military personnel to receive the...
, and, in 1920, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
Post World War I Career
In 1921 she was appointed Professor of ObstetricsObstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
and Gynaecology
Gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
at the London School of Medicine for Women
London School of Medicine for Women
The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 and was the first medical school in Britain to train women.The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Emily Blackwell and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry...
, becoming the first woman to be appointed a medical professor in United Kingdom. She also worked as a surgeon at the Marie Curie Hospital for Women during this period.
Damehood
Her services were recognised in 1929 when she was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. She retired in 1934, to have, in her own words 'a few years of freedom'. After the Second World War she returned to her retirement, residing with her sister in Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
Turnberry
Turnberry is a golf resort on the coast of the outer Firth of Clyde in southwestern Scotland. Located in South Ayrshire on the rugged coast, it comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star hotel, designed by James Miller and completed in 1906, as well as lodge and cottage...
.