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Mary Esslemont[edit]
Mary Esslemont (1891- 25 August 1984) was a Scottish doctor and vice president of the British Medical Association (BMA). She was made a CBE in 1955.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Mary Esslemont was born in Aberdeen in 1891.[2] Her mother was Clementina Esslemont who founded the Aberdeen Mother and Child Welfare Association and was one-time president of the Aberdeen Women's Liberal Association. Her father was George B Esslemont, Liberal MP for Aberdeen South.
She gained a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Aberdeen in 1914 and then became an assistant in the botany department. Following this, she became a science lecturer at Stockwell Training College, London.
She returned to her studies at the University of Aberdeen, graduating from the medical school in 1923.[3]
Career[edit]
From 1924 to 1929, Esslemont worked as Assistant Medical Officer for Health in Keighley, Yorkshire. She returned to Aberdeen in 1929, working as a general practitioner until her retirement in 1963. She was a member of council of the British Medical Association for 23 years, during which time she served on its Public Health, Amending Acts, Joint BMA and Royal College of Nursing, Occupational Health, and Journal committees. She was the only female doctor (and the only Scot) to be involved in negotiations with Aneurin Bevan, Minister for Health during the establishment of the National Health Service.
Awards, Honours and Tributes[edit]
In 1954 Esslemont was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen in recognition for her work and long association with the university. She was honoured with a CBE the following year. In 1976 a newly built block of students' flats on the University of Aberdeen campus was dedicated to her and called Esslemont House.
In recognition of her service to Aberdeen she was awarded the freedom of the city in 1981. Following her death in 1984, Aberdeen City Council erected a plague at 30 Beechgrove Terrace, Aberdeen (her last residence) with the inscription; 'Mary Esslemont 1891-1984 General Practitioner, Soroptomist and Free Burgess of Aberdeen lived here.'
- ^ "Mary Esslemont - Obituary". British Medical Journal. 289 - 15 September 1984: 750. 1984.
- ^ "Papers of Mary Esslemont - Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
- ^ Shearer, Kyle. "Mary Esslemont (1891 - 1984) - Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society". www.med-chi.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-08.