Elsie Inglis

Scottish doctor and suffragist

Elsie Maud Inglis (16 August 1864 – 26 November 1917) was a pioneering Scottish doctor, surgeon, and suffragist. She is best known for her role in establishing the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service during World War I, which provided medical care to soldiers on the front lines. Inglis was also a prominent advocate for women's rights and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom.

Early life and education

Elsie Inglis

Elsie Inglis was born in Nainital, British India, to John Forbes David Inglis and Harriet Lowes Thompson. Her father was a magistrate in the Indian Civil Service. The family returned to Scotland when Elsie was a child, and she was educated at the Edinburgh Institution for the Education of Young Ladies.

Inglis pursued her medical education at the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, which was founded by Sophia Jex-Blake. She later completed her studies at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Medical career

After qualifying as a doctor, Inglis worked at the New Hospital for Women in London, which was run by Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. She returned to Edinburgh and established a medical practice with a fellow female doctor. In 1894, she founded the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, which provided medical care to women and children regardless of their ability to pay.

Scottish Women's Hospitals

Plaque marking Elsie Inglis' surgery, Walker Street, Edinburgh

During World War I, Inglis proposed the creation of all-female medical units to serve on the front lines. Despite initial resistance from the British War Office, she successfully established the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, which operated in France, Serbia, Russia, and other locations. These hospitals were staffed entirely by women and provided crucial medical care to soldiers and civilians alike.

Suffrage movement

Inglis was an active member of the women's suffrage movement and worked closely with organizations such as the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. She believed that women should have the right to vote and be involved in public life, and she used her medical career as a platform to advocate for these rights.

Legacy

Bronze bust of Elsie Inglis by Ivan Mestrovic, 1918

Elsie Inglis passed away on 26 November 1917, shortly after returning from Russia. She was buried in Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh. Her contributions to medicine and women's rights have been widely recognized, and she is remembered as a trailblazer for women in both fields.

Memorials

Grave of Dr. Elsie Inglis, Dean Cemetery Edinburgh

Inglis has been commemorated in various ways, including a bronze bust by Ivan Meštrović and a plaque marking her former surgery in Edinburgh. Her work with the Scottish Women's Hospitals is celebrated as a significant contribution to both the war effort and the advancement of women in medicine.

Related pages

• Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service
• Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
• Sophia Jex-Blake
• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson