Mary M. Crawford

Mary Merritt Crawford (February 18, 1884 – November 25, 1972), known as Mollie Crawford, was an American surgeon. She was Brooklyn's first female ambulance surgeon, worked as a surgeon in France during the First World War, and co-founded the American Women's Hospitals Service.

Personal life

Early life Mary Merritt Crawford was born in Manhattan, the third eldest of eight siblings, on February 18, 1884, to Gilbert and Sarah Crawford. At the age of 2, she and her family moved to Nyack, where she grew up.

Later years and death Shortly after returning from the First World War, Crawford married Edward Schuster, who had proposed to her via cablegram. They had one daughter, Mary (born 1917). Prohibited from attending preparatory quizzing sessions to study for the exam, Crawford was forced to study with a physician privately. Her first ambulance call was on January 15, 1908, to a man who had fallen from a window. Being the first woman on this ambulance service, Crawford created her own uniform for her work. One of only 55 women surgeons hired by the U.S. Army during World War I, Crawford was not eligible for rank or status in her position, being treated as a "civilian consultant" during her time in France. In addition to her anesthesia work, Crawford also spent time supervising several wards, overseeing the dental ward, and assisting with facial reconstruction surgery. She also volunteered at an American Red Cross station in New York City, after the United States joined the war. The following year, she led the creation of a medical department at the Federal Reserve Bank as its medical director, where she remained until her retirement in 1949. and in 1929 became the head of the health service for the American Woman's Association at their clubhouse.