Canadian Scientist: Maude Abbott
Maude Abbott was born in 1869 in St.Andrews East, Quebec. She was known as an expert on congenital heart disease. She was raised by her grandmother since her mother died and her father left her. She was one of the first women to go to McGill University and get a bachelor’s degree in arts. But when they declined her admission to get into McGill Medical School, she went to a college called the Bishop’s College, it was from there she got her medical degree in 1894. She won the award of Senior Prize in anatomy and the Chancellor’s Prize for the highest marks on her final exams. In November of 1894, she opened her own office where she treated women and children. She worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital where she studied pathology and made a paper about the functions of heart murmurs. She finished her postgraduate in Europe and when she returned to Montreal, she met the Dr. George Adami, who was the Chair of Pathology at McGill. In 1898, she became the Assistant Curator of the Medical Museum and was sent to Washington to study how to classify specimen. In 1928, she met William Osler, who was a Canadian physician and who impacted her life greatly. He influenced her to study congenital heart disease for the rest of her life. She then wrote a part for his System of Medicine about congenital heart disease. In 1936, she became part of the Atlas of Congenital Cardiac
Disease because of her projects and her piece she wrote for William Osler. In 1901, she began teaching at the Medical Museum where she did specimen demonstrations. When William Osler visited her, he liked her paper so much that he wrote to McGill’s Dean of Medicine saying how her work was amazing and how nothing could compare to her work. In 1905, he invited her to write a section of his textbook about congenital heart disease. Because of this work, she became known as the world authority in the field of congenital heart disease. In 1924, she became the head of the museum and in 1936, her Atlas of Congenital Herat
Disease was published. She also founded many federations such as the Federation of Medical Women of Canada in 1924 and the International Association of Medical Museums in 1906. Her main work was to see how specimens were affected by congenital cardiac disease. She collected specimens and showed cardiovascular anomalies for the Museum. In 1932, she sent pictures, diagrams and drawings of the diseased specimen for an exhibit to the Centenary Meeting of the British Medical Association in London, England. Her work was posted on millboard posters for display and the 50 specimens she sent were arranged below that. Because of all her work, she also won many awards such as an honorary MDCM in 1910 and an honorary degree which stated her as an inspiring teacher and a champion of higher education. She wrote over 140 books and paper some are The Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease, On the Classification of Museum Specimens-American Medicine, The Museum in Medical Teaching and many more. She retired in 1936 and died later in Montreal on September 2, 1940.
Bibliography:
· Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease. (n.d.). Home Page | McGill University. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.mcgill.ca/medicalmuseum/introduction/history/physicians/abbott/atlas/
· Maude Abbott -Themes - Science - Celebrating Women's Achievements - Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.).Bienvenue au site Web Bibliothèque et Archives
Canada / Welcome to the Library and Archives Canada website. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1401-e.html
Disease because of her projects and her piece she wrote for William Osler. In 1901, she began teaching at the Medical Museum where she did specimen demonstrations. When William Osler visited her, he liked her paper so much that he wrote to McGill’s Dean of Medicine saying how her work was amazing and how nothing could compare to her work. In 1905, he invited her to write a section of his textbook about congenital heart disease. Because of this work, she became known as the world authority in the field of congenital heart disease. In 1924, she became the head of the museum and in 1936, her Atlas of Congenital Herat
Disease was published. She also founded many federations such as the Federation of Medical Women of Canada in 1924 and the International Association of Medical Museums in 1906. Her main work was to see how specimens were affected by congenital cardiac disease. She collected specimens and showed cardiovascular anomalies for the Museum. In 1932, she sent pictures, diagrams and drawings of the diseased specimen for an exhibit to the Centenary Meeting of the British Medical Association in London, England. Her work was posted on millboard posters for display and the 50 specimens she sent were arranged below that. Because of all her work, she also won many awards such as an honorary MDCM in 1910 and an honorary degree which stated her as an inspiring teacher and a champion of higher education. She wrote over 140 books and paper some are The Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease, On the Classification of Museum Specimens-American Medicine, The Museum in Medical Teaching and many more. She retired in 1936 and died later in Montreal on September 2, 1940.
Bibliography:
· Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease. (n.d.). Home Page | McGill University. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.mcgill.ca/medicalmuseum/introduction/history/physicians/abbott/atlas/
· Maude Abbott -Themes - Science - Celebrating Women's Achievements - Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.).Bienvenue au site Web Bibliothèque et Archives
Canada / Welcome to the Library and Archives Canada website. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1401-e.html