Women of Mayo Clinic: The Founding Generation

by Virginia M. Wright-Peterson

Uncovers the extensive involvement of women in the early decades of one of the most prestigious medical centers in the world.

Genres: History, Medicine, American History, Womens, Biography

232 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2016

About the author

Virginia Wright-Peterson, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, worked in administrative capacities for Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Arizona for seventeen years and has taught college level English and humanities for thirteen years, including as a Fulbright Scholar in Algeria. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and is currently a member of the administrative team at University of Minnesota Rochester. Women of Mayo Clinic: The Founding Generation is her first book. A Woman's War, Too, Women's Work During World War II was released in April 2020 and is a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important and necessary book about the visionary women, mostly unlauded by history, who established the Mayo Clinic. I suspect few people know that this world-class clinic, hospital, and research center was built on the efforts of a generation of brilliant women. A great read for anyone interested in Minnesota or medical history.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a lot of great information on the women who were instrumental in the creation of the world renown Mayo Clinic. That is the strength of this book.

Unfortunately, the glaring weakness is the poor quality of writing. I expected more out of someone who is a "member of the writing faculty at the University of Minnesota Rochester" and has "written for Minnesota Public Radio, the Rochester Post-Bulletin, and the Twin Cities Daily Planet, and has worked at Mayo Clinic for nearly two decades." The writer's credentials lead one to believe that it would be well written, at least to the academic standards for a Historical Society Press. It is listed in the Medical History/Women's Studies genres, but I'm not sure if I'd even put it in the Young Adult category.

It is clear that the writer might want to consult the Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White's "Elements of Style," and even the Associated Press stylebook before attempting her next literary endeavor. I normally rate writers much higher than this except she is not living up to her own credentials as a writer. Knowing the rich treasure trove of information from which she had to work with, suffering through sheer boredom from a poorly written work truly is a travesty.

[Deedee · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who has grown up in Rochester, Minnesota, this book includes mentions of so many of the Mayo Clinic's founders, both men and women, and the tremendous growth of this premier medical facility from its roots in tornado recovery in a tiny prairie town to its current eminence. I credit the writer for her level of research and detail although it sometimes seemed excessive in its minutiae. So many of the legendary names within the Mayo sphere -- Mayo, Plummer, Berkman, Judd, Harwick and others -- are documented and their family ties and intermarriages explained. Mayo certainly is to be applauded for its progressiveness, not only in every area of medicine but also in its dedication to outstanding leaders, both men and women, in every aspect of medicine and research through nearly 150 years.

[J. Lynn Else · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Author Virginian M. Wright-Peterson
• Minnesota Historical Society Press (March 1, 2016)
• Paperback, 224 pages, 38 B&W Photos, Notes, Index, Appendix, 6 x 9 inches
• ISBN: 9781681340005

The story of Mayo Clinic begins on the Minnesota prairie following a devastating tornado in 1883. Women of Mayo Clinic traces those early days from the perspectives of more than forty women—nurses, librarians, social workers, mothers, sisters, and wives—who were instrumental in the world-renowned medical center’s development. Mother Alfred Moes persuaded Dr. William Worrall Mayo to take on the hospital project. Edith Graham was the first professionally-trained nurse to work at the practice. Alice Magaw developed a national reputation administering anesthesia in the operating rooms. Maud Mellish Wilson established the library and burnished the clinic’s standing through widely-distributed publications about its innovations. Through institutional records and clippings from the period, the stories of these and other talented, dedicated pioneers are told, introducing a welcome new perspective on the history of both Mayo Clinic and women in medicine. While these women contributed to the clinic’s origins and success, their roles have not been widely celebrated—until now.

This book makes you stop and go “WOW” multiple times as you learn about the pioneering steps so many women had in the founding of the clinic. My favorite chapter was “Arriving in Pioneer Rochester.” The chapter really brought to life Louise Wright Mayo’s personality. I was astounded by her - talk about the true definition of a super hero/super mom. She was intelligent, resourceful, and made learning a priority for her entire family. At times, W.W. Mayo would leave for months to years on end for further training. One time when he left for additional training, Louise was “stone blind” blind due to an infection she contracted while she had been helping in W.W.’s eye clinic. She was left in charge of their young children, their household, and W.W.’s patients who would sometimes come to her for medical help. The author was able to quote Louise Mayo a few times. I laughed out loud when Louise was talking about her husband’s one true vice: books. She commented that while she may have been planning a new dress for their daughter or a new item for their home, then a “book agent would come to town and kick over my milk bucket” (paraphrased). While I am totally on W.W.’s side in this argument, the way Louise worded this observation really endured her and brought out more than just a tally of her deeds. This was the true magic in Wright-Peterson’s book for me.

There are many women outlined in this book, and Wright-Peterson deftly handles introducing and weaving the stories together. At times she comes back to earlier moments to help round out how the women related to one another during the periods of time when the clinic was growing. Wright-Peterson handled the multiple people and accomplishments well. I only had to stop a couple times to remind myself of who someone was. However, unlike chapter 2 mostly surrounding Louise Mayo, the personalities of the women narrated in subsequent chapters do not speak out beyond the pages. There is a lot of material to cover and, unfortunately, readers do not feel as much from these women personality-wise.

A couple suggestions I had for the book: (1) More pictures! I love seeing the historical pictures. I know there are more pictures of the founders and their wives. Perhaps due to a lack of pictures some of the women mentioned (social workers, nurses, etc) is why there were so few of the more well-known women. However, I would have liked a few more photos included, particularly candid shots which can be seen on the walls of Mayo Clinic (Edith looking fondly up at her husband Charlie). As mentioned above, personalities were hard to capture in the narrative, so more photos might have helped provide more information. (2) The last few chapters were a downhill road for women in medicine. The book ended on a low note. Wright-Peterson crafted a fascinating story of multiple women’s lives in this book. Thus, it would have been nice to include some positive follow-up for the close of the book. It concluded pretty much on the deaths of Dr. Will’s and Dr. Charlie’s wives. So a little more narrative at the end would have been nice to help lift up how these accomplishments continue to carry forward. It was acknowledged a little, but I think it needed a bit more sunshine at the end of the book.

This book was well written and meticulously researched. I loved learning about the growth of multiple professions thanks to a foundation built in large part due to strong capable women. I hope this book brings a greater recognition of these women, particularly in the Rochester community. There are many memorials to the male Mayos and a few of the Sisters; however, the women physicians and wives are almost entirely overlooked. Hopefully, the accomplishments highlighted in this book will inspire many women and men for generations that follow and help bring to light more stories of women from the Founding Generation. Highly recommend this book, especially for fans of women's history.

[Teri Blonigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women of the Mayo Clinic is a omprehensive telling of the fascinating women visionaries who started, established, and grew the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. These trailblazers are inspiring role models for women and men alike. Well told by author Virginia Wright-Peterson, this is a fascinating tale of an amazing but of history.

[Lesley Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of some outstanding women.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly interesting story of the founding of the Mayo Clinic and the significant role that women played from the beginning. Impressive!