Elsie Maud Inglis (16 August 1864 – 26 November 1917) wis ane o the Scots pioneer physicians an surgeons, inspirin teacher,[1] an suffragist, that stairtit the Scottish Weemen's Hospitals,[2] and wis the first weeman gien the Serbian Order o the White Eagle.[3]

Elsie Maud Inglis
Elsie Inglis
Born16 August 1864(1864-08-16)
Naini Tal, India
Dee'd26 November 1917(1917-11-26) (aged 53)
Newcastle upon Tyne, Ingland
Restin place
(en) Dean cemetery
NaitionalityBritish
Ither names(en) The Woman with the Torch
Alma mater(en) University of Edinburgh
ThriftDoctor
Kent forSuffragist; First World War doctor; (en) campaigner for women and children's health
Honours[[Order of the White Eagle (Serbia) |Serbian Order of the White Eagle (First Class)]]

Life eedit

Inglis wis born Elsie (Eliza) Maud Inglis on 16 August 1864 in Naini Tal, Indie an dee'd 26 November 1917 in Newcastle, Ingland.[4]

 
The Hospice Ryal Mile

Career eedit

Inglis wis amangst the furst group o weemen tae study medicine in Scotland an tae qualify. She wis, alangside Grace Cadell, ane o the first entrants tae the Embro Schuill o Medicine fur Women, set up bi Sophia Jex-Blake. In 1982, efter passin the examins fur the 'Triple Qualification' o LRCPE, LRCSE an LFPSG (en) Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.[whit? clarification needit] This quality haed been set up wi the three Scots Medical Royal Colleges to allou fowk thit coudnae enter universitie tae dae exams alike tae the yins duin bi university students. This alloued her name tae git ontae the Medical Registrate an alloued her tae practise as a doctor. Weemen didnae graduate in medicine frae a Scots University until 1894, an she received her MBChM qualification in 1899, frae the Varsity o Edinburgh.[4]

 
" The Chief" (Elsie Inglis) and some o her sisters 1916

In 1886, Inglis stairtit up the Medical Women's Club (Medical Weemen's Club), set up wi the prime aim tae stairt a hospital fur weemen, The Hospice, on the Ryal Mile.[5] wi her suffragist connections cud fund and set up the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service in Warld War One, treatin the injured o aw nations.[6]

Statue eedit

In 2022, a croodfundin appeal led bi Thea Laurie an Fiona Garwood, gaithert £50,000 bi inrowin politeecians an groups an the scriever Sara Sheridan an tennis coach Judy Murray, Covid public health specialist Linda Bauld, as weel as Edinburgh's Lord Provost, Frank Ross an Jenni Minto, MSP, gaint £50,000 in fundin. The organisers seyed '“Dr Inglis is the perfect representative for women in Edinburgh. Her achievements in philanthropy and her efforts during World War One are just exceptional. She was a woman who would not be told to sit still and know her place." This is anely the third statue to a wumman in Edinburgh.[7] The design o the statue wis oreeginally pit oot tae ae contest, but wis cancelled in favour o commissionin royal sculptor Alexander Stoddart. In October 2022, the statue wis pit on haud ower the cancellin.[8][9] In Januar 2023, ae statue designed bi Natasha Phoenix wis pit up in Surgeons' Halls Museums insteid.[10]

Soorces eedit

  1. "Greatest Scot? The many talents of Dr. Elsie Inglis".
  2. "Scrapbook [relating to the Scottish Women's Hospital]".
  3. "Serbian White Eagle: Scotswoman as the first woman recipient", Aberdeen Journal, 15 April 1916
  4. a b Ewan, Elizabeth; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Siân; Pipes, Rose, eds. (2006). Inglis, Elsie Maude. The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 177–178. ISBN 978-0-7486-3293-0.
  5. "The Legacy of Elsie Inglis Edinburgh's Shame".
  6. "Scottish Women's Hospital Unit".
  7. Flockhart, Gary (9 Mey 2022). "Elsie Inglis to have long-awaited statue placed on Royal Mile after £50k raised". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com (in Inglis). Retrieved 10 Mey 2022.
  8. Carrell, Severin (21 October 2022). "Edinburgh suffragist statue put on hold after bitter row over sculptor". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 Februar 2024.
  9. "Charity apologises over feminist Elsie Inglis statue row". BBC News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 5 Februar 2024.
  10. Robertson, Adam (1 Februar 2023). "New sculpture of 'beloved' Scot to go on display after controversy". The National (in Inglis). Retrieved 5 Februar 2024.