Mary Baughman
American physician (1874–1956)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mary Barney Baughman (September 4, 1874 – March 30, 1956) was an American physician, medical school professor, and clubwoman based in Richmond, Virginia.
September 4, 1874
Mary Baughman | |
|---|---|
Mary Baughman, from a 1924 yearbook | |
| Born | Mary Barney Baughman September 4, 1874 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 1956 (aged 81) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Cemetery |
| Occupations | Physician, medical college professor, clubwoman |
Early life and education
Baughman was born in Richmond, one of the eight children of Emilius Allen Baughman and Mary Nelson Barney Baughman.[1] Her father ran a publishing company and stationery business, Baughman Bros., and was a Confederate States Army veteran of the American Civil War.[2]
Baughman studied art in Paris as a young woman, then biology and gymnastics in Boston, and she worked with Charles Davenport at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory.[3] In 1918, at age 44, she enrolled in the Medical College of Virginia, in the first group of women students admitted for medical training.[4] She was a founding member and president of the college's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Iota.[5]
Career
Before medical school, Baughman taught art and gymnastics in Richmond schools.[3] In 1923 Baughman joined the Medical College of Virginia faculty, the school's first female instructor.[4] She also had a private general practice in Richmond from 1922 to 1952, and was considered the first doctor in town to provide birth control counseling.[6] She opposed abortion, "not concerned so much with the moral aspect of the practice as with its injury to women".[7] She spoke in support of eugenic approaches to crime prevention at a 1936 conference in Washington, D.C.[8] She spoke to school and community groups about public health topics including birth control,[9] "race betterment",[10] and the early diagnosis of tuberculosis.[11]
Baughman was an active clubwoman in Virginia, president of the Richmond chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Club.[12] During World War II, she helped lead the Richmond Defense Service Unit's information service, organized to provide reliable referrals for servicemen seeking lodgings or other assistance.[6] She was known to drive soldiers to their hosts' homes, or host them herself, if other arrangements failed. "If a soldier has no place to go, it isn't Dr. Mary Baughman's fault", according to a 1942 newspaper report.[13]
Personal life
Baughman enjoyed driving as a pastime. In 1926, she drove alone touring the American West and Pacific Coast, logging over 10,000 miles.[14] She died in 1956, aged 81 years, in Richmond.[6] She was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.[15]
