Monica Lewin: surgeon to victims of political violence in Jamaica

Abstract

At the height of the political unrest that rocked Jamaica's capital, Kingston, during the 1960s and 1970s, many of the injured brought to Kingston Public Hospital found themselves cared for by the expert hands of surgeon Monica Lewin. Her career illustrates the combination of high parental expectations, sympathetic mentorship, and personal determination that often underlies extraordinary achievement by people from under-represented groups. For most of Lewin's life, there were few female consultant surgeons, and she was one of the first in her country. Women making medical history: introducing A Woman's PlaceIn December, 2017, The Lancet issued a call for papers for its special theme issue on women in science, medicine, and global health .1 The Comment outlined the gender inequalities in medicine that still persist, long after many overt barriers to women's participation have fallen. While that theme issue will be forward-looking, I believe we can also gain insights from looking to the past for examples of women who have made their mark against the odds, and by asking what it was about their particular circumstances that enabled them to do so. Full-Text PDF Mary Susan Malahlela: practising medicine under apartheidUntil well into the 20th century, the only way Black South Africans could train as doctors was to travel abroad. This was an expensive option and there were few scholarships, so the numbers remained small. Not until 1941 did South African medical schools agree to admit a small minority of students of Indian or African ancestry. One of the first through the doors at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg was Mary Susan Malahlela. In 1947, she became the first Black woman to qualify in South Africa. Full-Text PDF