As a family physician, I explore the HEART of HEALTH in my work, recreation, community, and through writing. My blog, Watercress Words, informs and inspires us to live in health. I believe we can turn our health challenges into healthy opportunities. When we do, we can share the HEART of health with our families, communities, and the world. Come explore and share with me.
The essence of Proverbs 31 highlights the rarity and value of a virtuous woman, comparing her worth to rubies and noting her industriousness in caring for her family and managing resources. It emphasizes that true worth lies beyond external perceptions, advocating for perseverance over perfection in one’s character and journey.
Who can find an excellent woman? She is worth far more than rubies.
She is like the ships of traders. She brings her food from far away. She gets up while it is still night. She provides food for her family. She considers a field and buys it. She uses some of the money she earns to plant a vineyard.
statue of Rosa Parks, civil rights icon, photo by Dr. Aletha in Grand Rapids Michigan
“Proverbs 31 reminds us that virtuous women are a rare find. It is not a label that many will earn. There are some areas when we feel we do well, and others that may need improvement.
A virtuous woman will recognize that her worth has nothing to do with appearance, talent, or the opinions of others.
She will recognize that her past belongs in the past and a future awaits her.
God does not expect perfection, but rather , perseverance. “
“Our Auntie Rosa” by Sheila McCauley Keys reveals personal memories of Rosa Parks, showcasing her impact on family and society. The book highlights Parks’ dedication to civil rights, her nurturing role as a family member, and her legacy as a symbol of courage. Her life is celebrated both intimately and historically.
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The first woman graduate of a United States medical school was born in Bristol England in 1821. Elizabeth Blackwell came to this country as a child and originally had no interest in medicine. But when a dying friend told her, “I would have been spared suffering if a woman had been my doctor”, she found her calling.
By the most recent statistics published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 48% of United States medical school graduates are women; in some states, over 50% are women. If that trend continues, eventually at least half of all practicing physicians in the United States will be women. Currently about one third are female.
My medical school graduating class at our 30th reunion; the original class was larger, 150 students, but the percentage of women was the same as in this photo. (I’m in the pink dress)
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Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
The first woman graduate of a United States medical school was born in Bristol England in 1821. (thank you, UK readers). Elizabeth Blackwell came to this country as a child and originally had no interest in medicine. But when a dying friend told her, “I would have been spared suffering if a woman had been my doctor”, she found her calling.
She was denied admission to multiple medical schools. The Geneva Medical College of New York submitted her application to the student body for a vote, and, as a joke, they voted to admit her. Well, the joke was on them as she enrolled, completed medical school and graduated in 1849.
With her sister, Emily Blackwell , who also graduated from medical school, and a German physician, Marie Zakrzewska, they opened and ran the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857.
Dr. Emily Blackwell managed the Infirmary for 40 years. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska moved to Boston when she founded the New England Hospital for Women and Children, which trained women physicians and cared for the poor.
Due to failing health, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell retired from practice in the 1870s.
The Physicians Mom Group (PMG) declared Dr. Blackwell’s birthday February 3 as National Women Physicians Day. This day celebrates all the significant contributions that women physicians make daily, none of which would have been possible without Elizabeth Blackwell.
Dr. Blackwell embodied the ABC characteristics of extraordinary women physicians-
Attentive, Brave, Compassionate
Women physicians providing free medical care in a mission hospital
women doctors and nurses operating during a medical mission trip
Women physician members of CMDA providing medical care in Ecuador
Dr.Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Prior to founding her hospital, Dr.Zakrzewska served as professor at the New England Female Medical College. That school produced another notable women physician, Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.
Dr. Crumpler graduated in 1864, becoming the first African-American woman to earn the M.D. in the United States. After practicing in Boston, she moved to Virginia where she and other black physicians cared for freed slaves, who otherwise would have had no access to medical care. In 1883 Dr. Crumpler wrote a book of medical advice for women and children, titled Book of Medical Discourses, one of the earliest medical publications by an African American.
Dr. Virginia Apgar
More recently, a woman physician’s work has impacted the lives of countless babies and their families. If you have had a baby, or been born within the past 60 years, you benefited from the work of Virginia Apgar, M.D.
She was neither an obstetrician or a pediatrician, but an anesthesiologist. As she observed deliveries of infants she proposed a scale to rate how well a newborn was adapting to life outside the mother.
courtesy Pixabay
She considered 5 factors:
heart rate
respiratory (breathing) rate,
muscle tone,
reflexes, and
color-pink (warm) or blue(cold)
And assigned each a score- 0, 1, or 2, at 1 minute of age, and again at 5 minutes.
So a newborn had a potential score as low as 0 and as high as 10.
The higher the score, referred to as the Apgar score, the more likely the baby was healthy and would do well. The lower the score meant the baby was in trouble, and needed intensive medical attention.
After testing the use of the rating scale over several years, doctors starting using it routinely; so for the past 50-60 years almost all babies have been “graded” with an Apgar score at birth. The Apgar score is used widely throughout the world.
Dr. Apgar, who played violin and cello in her college orchestra, was appointed the first full professor of medicine at Columbia University and also was a director for the March of Dimes.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 