Bagshaw, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Bagshaw was born on a farm in Cunnington, Victoria, Ontario. ^[1] She was the youngest in the family, she had 3 sisters. At the age of 16, Elizabeth decided to become a doctor. In 1901, Bagshaw began attending the Women's College of Medicine in Toronto. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 1905. After graduation, Elizabeth planned to undergo a one-year internship in Detroit , as it was difficult for a woman in Canada to find medical work. However, she decided to stay with her mother and worked for a year as a midwife for free ^[3] .

In 1906, Bagshaw began her practice in Hamilton , specializing mainly in women's health. Most of the work was childbirth; for three consecutive years in the 1920s, she accepted more children than any other doctor in Hamilton. Most births took place at home. In the early years of her practice, she rented a horse and a stroller to move in the mornings, in the evenings she visited patients on a bicycle. During his work, Dr. Bagshaw adopted more than 3,000 children ^[3] . She also worked for 10 years in a dermatological clinic for free ^[1] .

At age 45, Bagshaw adopted a child. Her son, John, also became a doctor. Since 1954, they worked in the same building ^{[3] [4]} .

In 1932, despite criticism from the religious and medical community, Bagshaw began to actively participate in Canada’s first birth control clinic. She worked as a clinic director for 30 years. The institution provided visitors with condoms, contraceptives for married women. While working at the clinic, Elizabeth helped approximately 390 women. Dr. Bagshaw maintained active medical practice and was the medical director of the first clinic for birth control until 1966. In 1969, the clinic became fully legal and received a state grant ^[1] . Bagshaw helped change public opinion on family planning. She was the founder of the Canadian Federation of Women in Medicine. She retired at the age of 95, at that time being at that time the oldest practicing doctor in Canada ^[3] . Bagshaw died on January 5 in 1982 ^[1] .

Dr. Bagshaw gained professional recognition to death. She became a member of the Order of Canada in 1973, received the award of Governor General Piersons, and became a citizen of the Hamilton Year in 1970. In 2007, Elizabeth Bagshaw was admitted to the ^{[3] [5]} .

In 1978, the Canadian State Cinematography Service made a 29-minute film about Bagshaw titled Doctor Woman: The Life and Times of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw . The film shows the woman’s personality through modern interviews and productions of the character’s youth. The director of the film is Mark McCurdy, and the producers are Beryl Fox and Nancy Johnson ^[6] . In Vancouver, a clinic named after Elizabeth Bagshaw was opened ^[7] .

• Merna Forster. 100 more canadian heroines. - Toronto: Dundurn, 2011 .-- 488 p. - ISBN 1554889707 .