Celebrating some of our unsung heroine’s

#IWD2020 – we’re all talking about it, posting, blogging, arranging some great events which is wonderful to see! It’s a time for us ALL to celebrate just how far we have come, whilst acknowledging that there’s still a lot we want to achieve as a society and across our respective workplaces, cultures and – most importantly – within ourselves. All of this starts with us on an individual basis and the changes we would like to make and how we will strive to achieve and celebrate our goals.

I’ve been contemplating International Women’s Day this coming weekend and reflecting on what I wanted to write about. A fabulous work colleague of mine has given me the inspiration to write about something that’s at the heart of what we are celebrating: inclusion – and those that have laid the foundations and led the way, who are seemingly forgotten.

I’ve chosen two famous women who I have read about, who inspire me and one of which is a relative who I am eternally grateful to have in my life.

Alice Stewart

There’s a great book called “Wilful Blindness,” by Margaret Heffernan which I have recently devoured. My dog eared, highlighted, underlined and note-written copy has become a real point of reference for the world in which I live.

In this fascinating book, the author talks about a wonderful physician called Alice Stewart who is the first lady that I would like to celebrate. Her story has had a real impact on me, and I would have loved to have met her.

In the early 1940’s, Alice had come to Oxford to work as a resident physician at the Radcliffe Infirmary. She was an outstanding doctor and the youngest woman at the time to enter the Royal College of Physicians. She was full of boundless energy and not afraid to tackle some of the big challenges at the time. She was also a mother of two small children, with a failing marriage.

She treated many patients and headed up a number of research projects, discovering that workers in municipal factories were becoming ill due to exposure to high exposures of TNT and not just because they were staffed by ‘the ragtag population’.

She found a strong ally and sponsor in John Ryle and subsequently joined Oxford’s Institute of Social Medicine which investigated the relationship between illness and poverty. Sadly, after Ryle’s death, Alice lost her status and mentor.

She was left with a tiny salary, no building, no funding with a massive desire to make a difference. She chose to research leukemia, and this is where she truly made her mark.

Two anomalies had caught Alice’s attention – firstly the disease was affecting children aged two to four and secondly, they came from countries with better medical care and lower overall death rates. What was happening? Through her sheer determination, she got a tiny funding pot of ￡1,000 from Lady Tata Memorial Fund for Leukemia Research to pay for her study. With such minimal resources, she had to be resourceful. She designed a questionnaire and took it in person to all the medical officers in 203 county health departments in the country, she used the grant on train fares and gave each department, brown envelopes and carbon paper!

Her research found that obstetric x-rays were the culprit. Her findings were published in 1956 Lancet and caused quite a stir. Alice continued to collect data and published a full report in British Medical Journal.

Sadly, doctors kept on x-raying pregnant women for the next 25 years, due to the Medical Research Council (MRC) turning a blind eye to the facts Alice had presented. MRC rushed a paper out after Alice’s report, refuting her paper as being “unreliable”. This was led by Richard Doll who was a dominant figure in the British Medical establishment. By this time, Alice was divorced, one of only a few women in science and seen as a minority, with no voice. By the 1960’s, the medical establishment came to realise Alice was right.

Just think of the number of lives that could have been saved. Even in the late 1990’s when Alice was in her 80’s she was still described as being “dazzling” by those who met her. She was a strong, innovative and passionate lady that, at the time, society chose to ignore simply because she didn’t fit into the gender stereotypes of her time.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

Elizabeth was born in 1836 and was the first female doctor – which speaks volumes! She’s been described as a woman whose plight and determination really paved the way for other women.

Her inspiration came from successful women such as Elizabeth Blackwell who was the first female doctor in the US.

Elizabeth was not allowed to apply for medical school, despite being highly educated. Determined to build her career in medicine, she was forced to study nursing alongside her male colleagues whose strong objections to her attendance led to Elizabeth’s dismissal.

She then qualified as a doctor through the Society of Apothecaries who swiftly implemented a blanket ban on all women.

Elizabeth wasn’t one to give up and she taught herself French in order to study at the University of Paris where she finally earned her medical degree. Unable to register with the British Medical Register, she established the New Hospital for Women which was later to become the London School of Medicine for Women.

Her dedication and sheer resilience paid off as eventually, in 1876 female entry into the profession of medicine was legalised. After Elizabeth’s death in December 1917, the London School of Medicine for Women was renamed the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital and is now part of the University of London.

My Mum

From a very young age, Mum always taught my brother and I to remember that everyone deserves to be treated equally. That everyone is someone’s son, daughter, sister, brother, cousin, mother or father – some loves them, and they deserved to be treated accordingly.

It really stuck with me and her loyalty and infinite love, passion, drive and diligence to look after our family has been a real inspiration and something that I am in awe of what’s she achieved. A successful businesswoman in her own right who supported my father, a loyal wife, a true friend, a giggle that can get a whole room laughing, (sometimes for no reason). She’s taught me values and helped me to grow into who I am. Although, please don’t ever ask her to tell you a joke, she will forget the punchline and will be laughing about it as she tries to retell it (so many stories!)

Over the years, I’ve had my own journey which all started with her unwavering love and guidance.

Finally, I’d like to thank the brilliant lady that is Tayniat Khan for the inspiration to write this article.