Dr. Magdalena Simonis remembers International Women’s Day by highlighting the contributions of pioneering women in Australian medicine.
Most Australians did not usually know the history of women in practice. Dr. Simonis highlighted the secret history of women in medicine, the Victorian Medical Women’s Society organised by Constance Stone in the year 1895.
Constance pioneered the movement of women in the field. Recognising that Melbourne University does not admit women into the medicine program, Stone went to the United States wherein she was enrolled in a medical school.
After acquiring her medical degree, she went to Canada for accreditation and the United Kingdom to qualify for apothecaries—a general practice training.
Stone practised in the United Kingdom for some time and went back to her country to be the first female doctor.
She established her rooms at Collins Street since public hospitals do not employ women back then. Working only one day per week, Stone strived to create initiatives to foster her practice through caring for poor women and children.
In 1899, he coordinated with her husband, a Presbyterian minister named Reverend Ergyn Jones, to convert the back of Welsh Church into a clinic. Stone was committed to giving a more equitable health service.
Her sisters, Clara and Mary Ellen graduated from the University of Melbourne school of medicine since it opened its admission for women already. They worked together at the clinic eventually, providing free medication to the people.
The clinic eventually became the first clinic for women and to be established by women.
Constance organised the Victorian Medical Women’s Society and did not fail to gather support and contributions from other female doctors and the community. The convention was successful as it organised the Victoria Hospital for Women and Children or what is today known as the Queen Victoria Hospital for Women and Children.
Moreover, these pioneers also made significant contributions to World War 1, acting as front liners of medical care. The commitment and sacrifice of these women did not only surpass any troubles brought by the times but also the expectations set to them by society.
Despite such contributions, women are still discriminated throughout history. Newspapers in the United Kingdom back in the 1900s strongly discourage the employment of women in the medical profession.
Dr. Helen Sexton, a doctor in Melbourne in 1915 condemned such discrimination. She pointed out that the system is biased in considering the capability of women in the field.
She was strong in her commitment that the institutional bias should be thrown away and equal opportunities must be given to women, regardless of their disposition.
Dr. Sexton also participated in World War 1 by providing medical support to soldiers in Paris.
The history of women in the medical field of Australia is often neglected. Knowing such a story provides a glimpse of motivation for women who were trying to pursue their careers in the field.
Aside from the inspiration, it could give, knowing and understanding women in the history of the medical field of the country could give guidance to those women in a similar field.
Such contributions pioneered by Constance Stone should be acknowledged as it laid the foundation of a deep-seated proliferation of the medical field in the country.
Still, inequality exists in the present-day context. The medical workforce is ridden with issues surrounding gender roles. This poses a continuous challenge to women dedicating their lives in the name of service.
Part-registrar training should be put in place as it could give equal opportunities for men and women in enabling themselves for determining the career they wanted.
Furthermore, women in the profession could be fostered and supported through guided equal representation, gender-sensitive policy-making, and leadership.
Should these things be established, then women could continue to prosper and contribute to the field.
