The final chapter turns away from discussions of insanity to examine how beliefs about the female mind impacted a different group of women involved with the psychiatric profession: those who worked within the field. As female doctors began to enter psychiatric practice at the turn of the twentieth century, they had to contend with gendered biases like those faced by women patients. Following Dr Helen Boyle, one of the first women to work within an asylum in England, this chapter investigates how her sex impacted her career trajectory. Boyle used textual practices to skilfully manipulate contemporary concepts of femininity and claim a place for herself within the medical profession. Using a two-pronged approach, Boyle first implemented separatist tactics in setting up her own ground-breaking institution, promoting her vision through the Lady Chichester Hospital annual reports. Meanwhile, she employed an inclusionary approach in her periodical publications to garner support from the male establishment through articles in the Journal of Mental Science.

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Making a Name for Herself: Helen Boyle’s Work as a Female Pioneer in Mental Health Care

  • Mary Chapman

摘要

The final chapter turns away from discussions of insanity to examine how beliefs about the female mind impacted a different group of women involved with the psychiatric profession: those who worked within the field. As female doctors began to enter psychiatric practice at the turn of the twentieth century, they had to contend with gendered biases like those faced by women patients. Following Dr Helen Boyle, one of the first women to work within an asylum in England, this chapter investigates how her sex impacted her career trajectory. Boyle used textual practices to skilfully manipulate contemporary concepts of femininity and claim a place for herself within the medical profession. Using a two-pronged approach, Boyle first implemented separatist tactics in setting up her own ground-breaking institution, promoting her vision through the Lady Chichester Hospital annual reports. Meanwhile, she employed an inclusionary approach in her periodical publications to garner support from the male establishment through articles in the Journal of Mental Science.