The Perfect Gentleman: The remarkable life of Dr. James Miranda Barry

by June Rose

James Barry was one of the most outstanding doctors of the nineteenth century – a brilliant surgeon, a tireless campaigner for medical reform, and a compassionate Inspector-General of the Army.

But throughout a long and distinguished career an air of secrecy, even of scandal, always clung to Barry. The shrill voice, the diminutive build, the almost ostentatious humanity – all struck a discordant note in the stiff, conventional world of the officers’ mess. Only after the doctor’s death in 1865 did the incredible truth come to light:

Dr. James Barry was a woman.

What was her real identity? How did she manage to conceal her sex from the army for forty-six years? Why did she take on a man’s role and a man’s work?

In this vivid and meticulous biography, June Rose pieces together the clues in the Barry mystery and comes up with some astonishing answers. She tells of the elite intellectual circle which first conceived the masquerade and sponsored the little girl’s entrance, in disguise, into Edinburgh University; she recounts Barry’s strange connection with a powerful aristocratic family and her intense relationship with Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape Colony and one of the few men to know her secret.

And, most fascinating of all, she provides rare insights into Barry’s unique and contradictory personality: her determined clashes with authority, her courageous endurance of appalling conditions in every corner of the globe, her unforgettable encounter with Florence Nightingale.

The Perfect Gentleman is the story of an extraordinary adventure – and a remarkable woman.

Praise for June Rose

‘A fascinating, well-documented book’ - Sunday Telegraph

‘June Rose has succeeded in re-creating the past and relating it to the present... a fascinating account’ - Times Literary Supplement

June Rose (1926-2018) was a writer and broadcaster who specialised in probing into the human and historical background of the social issues of the day. She authored several biographies, including Marie Stopes and the Sexual Revolution, Elizabeth Fry, the nineteenth-century prison reformer and Modigliani, the twentieth-century Italian painter and Susan Valadon: Mistress of Montmartre.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Gender

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2019

About the author

June Rose spent five years exploring the private world of Dr Barnardo's, matching archive material with the memories of staff and children which is documented in her book For the Sake of the Children. Her first excursion into the charitable world, Changing Focus, was written to mark the centenary of the R.N.I.B. Since then her two acclaimed biographies, The Perfect Gentleman, the life of James Miranda Barry, a nineteenth-century woman doctor who masqueraded for forty years as a man, and Elizabeth Fry, the life of the Quaker prison reformer, reflect her concern with social questions.

Reviews

[Kitty Unpretty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't make it more than a few pages, which is when I realized the author was going to be using she/her pronouns and referring to the subject as a woman for the entire book. Somehow the title made me think the author was respecting the wishes of someone who presented their entire life as male and took steps (though ignored) to avoid being gendered as female after death.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Perfect Gentleman' is a brief book that makes an excellent counterpoint to the novel 'James Miranda Barry' by Patricia Duncker. Both concern the same extraordinary doctor. Unlike the novel, this biography does not speculate on James Miranda Barry's early life or emotional connections, but concentrates on his career. Although the impressiveness of this came out in the novel, it is even more powerfully presented in 'The Perfect Gentleman'. Barry was astoundingly ahead of his time in medical terms, not to mention his compassionate views on the treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill. Rose uses copious quotes from correspondence to demonstrate Barry's tireless battles with intransigent, oft-incompetent bureaucracy. He comes off as an incredibly brave, uncompromising, and admirable figure who made a huge difference wherever he worked.

As an aside, it seems somehow more respectful to refer to Barry with male pronouns, as he lived his life as a man. To impose female pronouns, as Rose does throughout, seems not to reflect the life Barry chose. Although neither the novel nor biography mention the possibility explicitly, it does not seem impossible that Barry was a trans man. Interestingly, in the novel even those who know that Barry was born female use male pronouns. Barry's mother does so even before Barry begins to present as male.

A tantalisingly brief anecdote that I found especially fascinating in this book concerns Barry's meeting with Florence Nightingale. The two did not get on at all, although it seems they had an astonishing amount in common. Both devoted their lives to improvement and reform for medical facilities, especially military hospitals. Both emphasised the need for hygiene above all and compassionate care for patients. And both were females in an utterly male-dominated environment. The routes that they took to achieve their aims are fascinating to compare. They can even be taken to exemplify the differing challenges facing women seeking to deal with sexism by emphasising their stereotypically masculine or feminine traits. As it turned out, Florence Nightingale is the one remembered by history as having achieved more, but Barry managed astonishing things too.

As in the novel, I found Barry to be a fascinating and sympathetic character. Rose manages not to be tempted into too much speculation about Barry's possible relationships, largely confining herself to the reasonable comment that Barry must have experienced considerable loneliness. Even leaving aside the issue of gender, Barry's professional attitudes and beliefs made him an iconoclast. Although very popular with patients, his superiors and colleagues tended to find him difficult. Reading 'A Perfect Gentleman' reinforced my view of the novel 'James Miranda Barry', that the lack of a confidante and friend, such as the novel created for him in Alice, made me sad for Barry. Of course, much of his life remains wholly mysterious, so there may have been such a person or persons. On the one hand, I'd love to know more about his background and personal life, but on the other this seems rude to his memory. It is clear from Rose's book that Barry considered his medical career and the good that it did for humanity as paramount in his life. That, rather than prurient speculation, should surely be his legacy.

What this book did cause me to wonder, though, is how many other women passed as men whilst femininity was a barrier to practising professions. Barry managed it throughout his life, his formidable intellect and utter competence apparently compensating for very small stature and effeminate looks. Surely he was not the only one? I'd like to think that, though we may not know exactly who they were, plenty of women managed to infiltrate professions that were the preserve of men. If I'd had the bad luck to have been born two hundred years ago, I'm pretty sure that I would have given it a try.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. James Barry was a fascinating person and this book generated some interesting response. Barry was a child prodigy, graduating from medical school in his early teens (possibly as young as 12, depending on the veracity of the year of birth) and promptly entered the army (possibly under the age 14). He was way ahead of his time. He demanded rigorous cleanliness in sickrooms, daily linen changes, frequent dressing of wounds, and diets heavy on fruits and vegetables. He campaigned for human conditions for prisoners, paupers, lunatics, and convicts. He believed insanity should be treated in a hospital, not an asylum. As a chief medical inspector, he ensured open sewers were replaced with sealed iron pipes in South Africa, and performed the first Caesarian section in the colony. He was also rumored to be a hermaphrodite due to his beardless face, high voice, and tiny stature. Upon his death at age 71, it was discovered that he had been a woman (and one who had once given birth) all along. He was able to perpetuate the ruse partly because men at the time could not believe a woman was capable of being such brilliant surgeon and able to pull the wool over their eyes despite decades in military service all over the world. Now for the backlash to this book: the author consistently referred to Barry as "she" and at one point even surmised that "almost certainly she must have sometimes longed to be private person, a woman able to express her femininity." If the men of the time (early 19th century) were unable to conceive of a female military surgeon, the author seems unable to conceive of a woman who may have actually wanted to be a man. The transgender community was not happy with the way Barry's life was framed.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Good form’ was not enough for her – she needed to believe in the innate chivalry of a gentleman in order to maintain her masquerade. [loc. 1209]

James Miranda Barry (1789-1865) was, by vocation, a military surgeon who advocated hygiene and humane treatment of the mentally ill, strove to ignore racism in South African society, and insisted that 'it was better to be without advice than to have bad advice whether in Law or Physic’. Dr Barry was also a woman who lived her whole life, from boyhood, as a man. Though, according to this biography, 'everyone knew': rumours were rife during Barry's lifetime, and when the charwoman who laid out the body exclaimed that 'it's a woman', the staff surgeon was not especially surprised.

This may say more about Victorian attitudes to gender and medicine than it says about Barry as a person, though. Several of the opinions and accounts quoted by Rose indicate a very clear prejudice against those who didn't conform to gender stereotypes: "the physique, the absence of hair, the voice, all pointed one way and the petulance of temper, the unreasoning impulsiveness, the fondness for pets were in the same direction." [loc. 127] Barry was regarded as 'extraordinary' or 'odd' in appearance and 'eccentric' in behaviour, and had a reputation for argument, independent thinking and bypassing the rigorous procedures of the military. Florence Nightingale, never afraid to use her femininity to get what she wanted, quarrelled with Barry, who'd achieved success in a man's world by pretending to be a man: "After she was dead I was told she was a woman. I should say she was the most hardened creature I ever met throughout the army." [loc. 2394]

June Rose is a meticulous biographer, examining the evidence and making it clear when she's extrapolating from her sources. She examines Barry's (likely) childhood experience, connection to high society, and education at Edinburgh University. Barry's career took her to South Africa -- where she may have borne a child to her long-term friend and protector Lord Charles Somerset -- and to the Caribbean, and through a series of increasingly disputatious conflicts with her superiors. Much of Barry's medical work seems to have consisted in treating and preventing disease, rather than battle-field surgery, but she was certainly capable of the latter.

I was familiar with Barry's story from Patricia Duncker's fictionalised account, James Miranda Barry. I believe that novel uses the male pronoun throughout, as Barry did: this biography, on the other hand, refers to Barry as 'she', which I found ... slightly jarring. June Rose -- writing in 1977 -- does address the eagerness of nineteenth-century society to diagnose Barry as a 'hermaphrodite', an intersex person. Discussing one eminent physician's opinion, she writes '[his] obsession with the specifically sexual identity is typical of a common – and predominantly male – assumption that a woman by nature would have been incapable of sustaining the masquerade and attaining such professional prominence'. [loc. 2610]

I suspect that a biographer writing Barry's story today would respect his pronouns (which sadly I have not done here), and perhaps venture further into Barry's private life -- and biology. But I did find this an illuminating and compassionate account of an unusual and courageous life.

Read for the 'a biography' rubric of the Reading Women Challenge 2020.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but dense read. This is not necessarily about a transgender person (as far as we know, it is unclear as Barry kept this secret to their death) as I originally thought, but moreso about a woman being forced to present as a male because her intelligence would not have been enough to allow her to attend medical school in the time that she lived. Her mother and other supportive figures teach her to conceal her female gender and body because she shows such intelligence for medicine as a young child and they want her to go to medical school. The patriarchal hoops non cis/hetero/male people have had to go through in the past were insane! There is still much we cannot know or figure out about this individual, but their life was an interesting one.

[Brenda Salyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing life

The story of this remarkable woman is truly bittersweet. That she accomplished so much in spite of the incredible odds against any female in that time is nothing short of more of miraculous. That she was never able to reveal her gender because of the sexual bigotry of that time makes the dismissal of her accomplishments a blot on medical history, and her personal struggle for validation, a tragedy.

[Iain Moles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating life

A short thoroughly interesting recounting of an amazing story, more should be made of this history. I served for nearly 30 years in the RAMC and feel they should make more of this person.

[Misty Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is so difficult to rate this...

I was tempted to give it only two stars but the book IS well written and would be a good read for someone new to the strange world of James Barry, provided they accept it as A version of the likely story and not as an authoritative biography

James Barry was a complex enigma - chimera - someone who was described elsewhere as a 'sphinx', and they were indeed a riddle shrouded in an enigma (or however the quotation should read!)

I have spent many hours working on Barry over several decades on behalf of other writers. June Rose cites several archives which I have not yet used, so she may indeed be quoting some of her facts with greater certainty that I can challenge, but it seems odd that several subsequent biographers have apparently also failed to find these said 'facts'. To make things even more frustrating, although she gives a limited bibliography there are no footnotes or endnotes to know where she may have found proof of her assertions

My other 'grumble' is probably a little unfair, given that the book was written in the mid 1970s. Throughout the book Rose states that Barry was almost certainly female and refers to her as 'she'. In the absence of definitive proof from the past, or future DNA evidence, my strong feeling is that as Barry spent most of their life living as a man, by modern usage it would only be polite to refer to them as either 'him' or 'them', regardless of whether they were in fact hermaphrodite, cis-female, trans, non-binary or whatever description the writer decides to reflect their own opinion.

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

This was a very different sort of biography...the true story of a tiny woman masquerading as a man who trained as a doctor at a time in the eighteen hundreds that women could not go to medical school. She was an enlightened doctor, way before her times in terms of cleanliness and hygiene, and was posted in various places in the Mediterranean and Caribbean as an officer in the British army. How she was never caught is amazing and it was not until her death that the truth became known. It had been rumored before that but never confirmed. Her personality was a bit brash, trying to clean up the appalling filth and lack of care for soldiers, and she got on the wrong side of most governors and other leaders wherever she went. It is too bad that more is not known about her private life and secrets, but the author did a magnificent research job on what information there is available. She predated Florence Nightengale by several decades in terms of her enlightened standards and care but never got credit. In fact, Florence actively disliked her and lobbied against her with the government. The only problem I had with the book is the confusion by the author in sometimes referring to her as she and at other times as he. Lack of consistency was irritating.

[November · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a comprehensive and sympathetic biography of Dr Barry though a little fanciful at times.
June Rose also, on occasion, stated in not uncertain terms, things she later contradicted. The most notable one to me was the declaration in chapter 1 that Barry was about 15 in 1805 (likely true) and then in chapter 2 she claimed he was 10 starting university in 1809 (highly unlikely). It was this second date of birth - 1799 - that she stuck with for the rest of the book.

There is little in here that wasn’t in Isobel Rae’s 1958 biography and I found hers overall a more enjoyable read.
I also feel that June Rose is - possibly single handedly - to blame for the prevalence of the insistence that Dr James Barry’s middle names were Miranda Steuert, something I can find no proof of (thus far anyway). As far as I can recall, no contemporary records include the names and Isobel Rae does not use them either. The earliest usage I can find elsewhere is in a review of Rose’s book from spring 1977.

[Norah Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Perfect Gentleman looks into Dr James Barry, a military surgeon who lived much of his life disguised as a man, though born Margaret Ann Bulkley. His true identity was fully revealed only after his death. The biography delves into the complexities of Barry's identity, the challenges faced in the male-dominated world of the 19th century, and the broader context of colonial society.

A fascinating aspect of the book for me is its presentation of life from the perspective of the colonisers during the colonial era. This was a refreshing read since I have mainly been accustomed to narratives focusing on the experiences of the colonised.

However, while the book is informative and well-researched, it includes a lot of detail that I sometimes find hard to connect to Dr. Barry's life. This could also be due to my lack of historical understanding of many facts.

It’s interesting to see how much has changed in 200 years, and yet, in some ways, certain issues—especially regarding what women can or can’t do professionally—remain the same.

[Deborah Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this biography of Dr. Barry because it read like a fictional account of a gifted doctor ahead of their time. To think that this is a true story is almost unbelievable. But, truth is stranger than fiction sometimes and this story holds true to this statement. I found the writing a bit stiff at times as I did not understand the titles and rankings of some charecters. There are a vast amount of names of people to remember throughout, as these names pop-up earlier then later in the book. I found that I had to re-read some paragraphs for much of the writing is written in the "proper english" of the time period.
The author no doubt researched extensively the facts, hersay, and rumour about Dr. Barry's life from beginning to end. It is a darn shame that a woman of the early 19th century had to disguise herself as a man in order to attend college and have a worthy profession as a medical doctor. Florence Nightingale was much more fortunate in a more modern era. It is without question, that Dr. Barry was ahead of her time.

[Anne Hurworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably not to everyone’s taste but I found it absolutely fascinating. The lengths that Dr Barry went to to be ‘accepted’ in a male dominated world is to be applauded. The work that was done to help the sick and the navy personnel is to be commended. I found it interesting to read about all the ‘clashes’ between Dr Barry and other officers extremely interesting. It’s quite clear that she was a force to be dealt with ….All this and the various rumours that circulated that Dr being female just added to the interest. Was this why she struggled to be accepted ?? We applaud all the work of Florence Nightingale in improving the hygiene in military hospitals etc and yet Dr Barry was ahead of the game many years before Florence Nightingale ….. why have we heard so little about the tireless work of Dr James Barry???

[Noni Barker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got bored in the middle and finished this book only because it was quite short. Also, I have some interest in women pioneers in science and medicine. Dr. Barry began life as a very precocious girl. She passed as a boy to gain entrance at age 11 to medical school and pursued a career as an army doctor.As he never again lived as female, I would call him a trans male rather than a woman posing as a man. As a medical practitioner, he was far ahead of his time and made many enemies by disagreeing with his superior officers and medical colleagues and by his annoyingly persistent demands that patients, soldiers, lepers, the poor, and the insane must be supplied with healthy food and clean air, water, bedding and surroundings.

[Susanne Alethea Larssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating about Dr. James Miranda Barry that spent her adult life as an army medical doctor and her gender was first revealed after her death when the woman that laid out her body not only told the world that the good doctor was a woman but also had been pregnant. And even if Dr. Barry had a bad habit of making enemies of the higher up, she treated her patients with great care and compassion. She fought for a number of reforms, among the lower ranks, the poor, and the inmates in mental hospitals. And amazingly, in 1826 she performed a C-section, one of the very first where both mother and child survived.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I normally relish the chance to learn the background and thoughts of historical figures, particularly those who find their way around established norms and practices in pursuit of the greater good, I had to slog my way through this.

I had never heard of Dr. Barry, and the chance to learn more intrigued me. But somehow I simply could not get involved; the narrative seems to be "Dr. Barry complained about this and used her connections to get away with things". No doubt she did good; no doubt her 46-year career was remarkable, yet I felt no enthusiasm for the story itself.

[RONALD PEYTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and very accomplished life. She must have been amazingly smart to start college at 10 and become a doctor at 13. Miranda Barry successfully masqueraded as a man, Dr James Barry for 37 years in the British Army Medical Field, in many varied assignments throughout the tropics. She fought to improve the sanitation, health, and well-being of soldiers and needy people well before it was acceptable. A very interesting life.

[Nancy Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

I love reading about our medical history, from how surgeries were preformed (in detail) to all the fighting to get “new” ways excepted. This heroine to follow her love of medicine to get implement healthier living for All with clean drinking water and proper sewage.

[Gonzaga Escauriaza · Rating 2 out of 5]

La vida de esta señora es muy interesante, pero el libro me ha costado acabarlo.

Yo creo que el problema es que cuenta muchas anécdotas de su trabajo pero ninguna tiene continuidad por lo que no te metes en la historia de su vida realmente.

[Donna L. Cohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird

Can t figure out if I actually cared what the doctors sex was.
An incredibly inspired physician who dedicated the life given to him/her to improving despicable battlefield medical conditions. Bravo.

[Diane H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great subject; average writing

Had not heard of Dr Barry before, and her life was very interesting. The book was well researched, but the author seemed to have a lot of old fashioned views herself, and I found all the editorializing comments distracting.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Topic is fascinating.

Very interesting topic. The author is not always clear about who is talking in a conversation though. Some parts were confusing because of the way it was written and some because it is English military. I would however recommend this book.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, but feels incomplete. The use of exclamation points was distracting. Questions were asked by the author, but not answered. Also, if Barry did not use the feminine pronoun in life, why did the author?

[Dolee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting

This book was so interesting. To think a woman could pull that off in those days and times. She certainly was determined to be the best surgeon she could be, and I believe she was also determined to be better than the men.

[ann pac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

I am always intrigued by books about interesting personages. This biography didn’t disappoint. Dr. James Barry is to be commended for the courage she showed in order to practice what she loved.

[Wendy Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling read

Fascinating account of a woman well ahead of her times. Although there's no way to accurately guess Dr Barry's motives for her subterfuge, the impediments and frustrations she endured make the story even more astounding. Well written.

[Eric C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story

I had no idea that someone like Dr. Barry existed. I have read other accounts of women posing as men in military service, but not at this level of detail. She was truly a remarkable person, a century ahead of her time.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful biography. I’ve heard of dr Barry but didn’t really know much about him/her. To read about whole sex coverup, to the stink she caused everyplace she went all for the good of pts only to get herself in trouble. Amazing woman/ man? I believe woman.

[Rhian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject but amateurish treatment by the author. Had to put it away as it became repetitive and too involved in recounting the minutiae of the subjects various correspondence and correspondents - tedious.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fascinating topic, but the book is so poorly written as to be unreadable. DNF at 18%.