A
brief summary of Dr. Mary Walker's life
Dr. Mary
Walker is shown (right) at work in St. Alfege's Hospital, Greenwich.
This photograph appeared in The Kentish Mercury, 15th March 1935 and is used with
permission of the editor. |
Dr. Mary B. Walker (1888 -
1974) |
1888 - born at Croft-an-Righ, Wigtown,
Scotland.
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| The Walker ladies
c. 1911. left to right: Mrs.
Mary McLelland Walker (step-mother), Mary B. Walker, Gracie Walker (sister).
Gracie Walker also became a Physician. |
|
Photograph
courtesy of Mrs. Pamela Furtek. |
click
on image to expand |
1913 - awarded MBChB from Glasgow
& Edinburgh Medical College for Women
1914 - 1918 - joined the Royal Army
Medical Corps and served as Ward Physician at the 63rd General Hospital, Malta
|
63rd
General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps, Julian Bay, Malta |
Photograph
courtesy of Mrs. Pamela Furtek. |
click on
image to expand |
1920 - became salaried Assistant
Medical Officer in 'Poor Law Service' at St. Alfege's Hospital, Greenwich
|
Medical and
nursing staff of St. Alfege's hospital. Photograph dated 1928. Dr. Mary Walker is seated in the front row at the extreme right. |
Photograph
courtesy of Mrs. Pamela Furtek. |
click
on image to expand |
1932 - awarded Membership of the Royal
College of Physicians (MRCP)
1934 - published findings on myasthenia
gravis in the Lancet 2nd June 1934, pp. 1200-1
1935 - awarded MD from University of
Edinburgh with Thesis Gold Medal for work on myasthenia gravis. The record of this award
may be found in the Edinburgh University Calendar 1937 - 1938, page 581, published by
James Thin of Edinburgh.
1936 - left St. Alfege's Hospital to work at
St. Leonard's Hospital, Shoreditch
1954 - retired to live at Croft-an-righ in
Wigtown. Continues to work part-time at Glasgow Royal Maternity & Women's Hospital
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| Two photographs
of the view looking at Croft-an-righ and one photograph of the view from Croft-an-righ,
Wigtown. The house is built on the site of an
old priory where Scottish Kings up to the times of the Kings James would stay either for
hunting or pilgrimage. Croft-an-righ is Gaelic for 'croft of the King'.
Mary Walker took over the croft when her father died. Local
people remember her tenure of the house as one filled with laughter and cats and stories
about the walnut tree in her garden. |
| These
photographs are used with the permission of the owner of Croft-an-righ and may not be
reproduced without express consent |
| click
on image to expand |
Dr. Walker's interest in myasthenia gravis continued even
after retirement as shown by the letter below written to Miss Sylvia Bates in 1961
wherein Dr. Walker advocates a controlled trial of thymectomy to ascertain its role in the
management of myasthenia gravis.
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page 1 |
page 2 |
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on image to expand |
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| This letter is
reproduced with the permission of Sylvia (nee Bates) & Harry Elliston and may only be
reproduced with express permission Full text of
letter
about
Dr. Fergus Ferguson (referred to in
letter) |
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1963 - awarded Jean Hunter Prize from Royal
College of Physicians in recognition of her work in muscle disorders
| The records of the Royal
College of Physicians of London show that the Jean Hunter prize was: "Founded by a bequest from William Turner Hunter, received in
1954; £226 10s 3d to endow a prize known as the 'Jean Hunter Prize', for the advancement
of research into the treatment pf nervous exhaustion. The prize is to be awarded at such
intervals and subject to such conditions as the College shall determine"
The records of the Royal College of Physicians of London show
that:
A meeting of the Jean Hunter Prize Committee was held at the
College on Thursday 29th November 1962 at 1.15pm
Present
- Sir Charles Dodds (President)
- Dr J St C Elkington
- Dr R D Curran
- Dr K Robson (Registrar)
"After discussion, the Committee agreed to recommend
that the Jean Hunter Prize for the advancement of research into the treatment of nervous
exhaustion be awarded to mary Walker MD MRCP for her original contribution to the
fundamantal knowledge of the nature of myasthenia gravis, made while carrying out the
routine duties of a medical officer at a large metropolitan hospital".
There have been 7 recipients of the Jean Hunter prize since
1980 (date of writing June 2001). |
| The above text supplied by C.
E. F. Thornton, Archivist of The Royal College of Physicians of London and is used with
permission |
1973 - Dr. Walker continues to publish
and wrote a brief review on the background of discoveries in myasthenia gravis in the
British Medical Journal 1973(2) pp. 42-43
September 1974 - dies, aged 86. The obituary
of Dr. Mary Walker appeared in the Lancet 7th December 1974, p. 1401 with additional
remembrances in the Lancet 28th December 1974 p. 1582
. |
