Sally Mapp

Sarah "Crazy Sally" Mapp (baptised 1706 – 1737) was an English lay bonesetter, who gained fame both by performing impressive bone-setting acts in Epsom and London, and by being a woman in a male-dominated profession. Mapp grew up in Wiltshire, England, and learned about the practice from her father, who was also a bone-setter. John Wallin was a bone-setter as well, and when he was unable to conduct bone setting practices, Mapp carried on and dealt with the cases, often even better than her father. She accordingly left him and established her own practice called 'Cracked Sally - the One and Only Bone Setter'. Mapp's nickname 'Crazy Sally' came from her masculine personality and reputation for quarreling with her father and drinking. Mapp could often be found wandering the country in a drunken state and shouting obscenities, which also contributed to her nickname. At one point, some surgeons tried to fool Mapp and show that she was not skilled by sending her a healthy patient who claimed he had a damaged wrist. This test angered Mapp and she dislocated the patient's wrist and sent him back to the people who had tried to trick her. She is reported to have responded to the angry mob by yelling, "Damn your blood, don't you know me? I am Mrs. Mapp, the bone-setter." Mapp is reported to have attended the play. In 1819, George Cruikshank portrayed Mapp, probably based on Hogarth's drawing.

Legacy Originally, Mapp was well-loved wherever she worked because of her talents as a bone-setter. In Epsom, the racing community especially appreciated her contributions and named a mare Mrs. Mapp in honor of her. She has been described as an early exponent of osteopathy. Samuel Homola has noted that "In the days of Sally Mapp, the treatment appeared to be quite successful in a great many conditions because of the unrecognized effects of suggestive therapy."