Bust of Mary Harris Thompson, M. D.

When Mary Harris Thompson arrived in Chicago in 1863 to practice medicine, she found a city desperately in need of medical care for women. It was obvious that the city’s two hospitals were grossly inadequate; in fact, one of them did not even accept female patients. Responding to this crisis, Thompson opened the Women and Children’s Hospital in 1865, and in 1870 she founded the Women’s Hospital Medical College, the first medical college for women in the Midwest. At the time of her death, Thompson had gained international recognition, both for being the first female surgeon in Illinois and for opening up the healthcare profession for women.