Elisabeth Petitpierre
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London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Elisabeth Petitpierre | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1893 |
| Died | October 9, 1983 (aged 90) |
| Education | University of Lausanne (MD, 1923) London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
| Occupations | Physician, missionary |
| Known for | Director of missionary hospitals in India and Cameroon |
Elisabeth Petitpierre (22 April 1893 – 9 October 1983) was a Swiss physician and missionary who worked in India and Cameroun for the Basel Mission. She was one of the first Swiss women to direct a hospital in India, serving as head of the Basel Mission Hospital in Betageri, Karnataka from 1929 to 1954.[1]
Elisabeth Petitpierre was born on 22 April 1893 in Saint-Aubin, Neuchâtel, the youngest of five children in a family closely connected to the local Protestant church. Her father, Fritz Petitpierre, specialized in the absinthe trade, was associated with the Pernod family in Couvet, and served as a member of the local Protestant parish council. Her mother, Marie née Biolley, was the daughter of engineer François Alexis Biolley and sister of Henri Biolley. Marie had joined the Salvation Army, which had opened ministry to women since 1907.[1]
One of Elisabeth's sisters, Marie Petitpierre (1885–1969), also dedicated her life to the Salvation Army, becoming principal of the Swiss officers' school in Bern with the rank of Colonel.[1]
Elisabeth remained unmarried and had no children.[1]
Education and early career
After attending primary and secondary schools in Saint-Aubin, Petitpierre continued her studies at the higher school for young women in Neuchâtel. She then worked as an auxiliary nurse at the Hôpital Pourtalès in Neuchâtel, obtained her federal Matura, and in 1917 began medical studies at the University of Lausanne, completing her degree in 1923. Following hospital internships in Lausanne and Zurich, she entered the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.[1]
