Laura Alberta Linton

Laura Alberta Linton (April 8, 1853 – April 1, 1915) was an American chemist and physician.

Early life and education Linton was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, on April 8, 1853, the oldest child of Joseph and Christina Linton. The family were Quakers. The family farmed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey before settling in Wabasha County, Minnesota. and went on to the University of Minnesota, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry.

After graduating, Linton taught high school for two years in Lake City, Minnesota. Linton then spent two years in Providence, Rhode Island, assisting Peckham with his Report on the Production, Technology, and Uses of Petroleum and Its Products for the 1880 United States census.

In 1882, Linton spent two semesters studying chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career in medicine Linton then left the field of chemistry and pursued a career in medicine. The reasons for her change of discipline are the subject of speculation. Perhaps there was a family influence, as a brother, Thomas Linton, and a sister, Sarah Linton Phelps, were both physicians.

Immediately after graduating, Linton accepted a position at Rochester State Hospital, taking the place of her sister Sarah, who was in failing health. Laura worked at the hospital for the final fifteen years of her life. She made two significant contributions to the hospital. First, she taught a course to the nurses on dietary principles; second, Linton instituted a supervised program for mentally ill female patients, in which they were allowed to do needlework and handicrafts. This was one of the first ever hospital programs to use occupational therapy.

Linton was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for the Advancement of Women.

Later life and death Linton died on April 1, 1915, in Rochester, Minnesota.

Selected publications