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Dr Jessie Handyside Gellatly MB ChB DPH (1882-1935) was one of Britain’s first university-qualified female doctors. She was one of the 16 female doctors who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First World War (out of 82 female doctors in army service). She served as the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Cambridgeshire for most of her life.
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Life
She was born on 7 December 1882 to John Stewart Gellatly (1846-1914) and his wife Mary Anne Cordelia Rae (1853-1936), of 8 Mary’s Place, a modest 19th century flat in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. She had several siblings including her eldest brother, who was also John Stewart Gellatly.
Jessie studied at Edinburgh University from 1901 graduating MB ChB in 1906. She initially worked at Leith Hospital, then worked as a Medical Officer for Cadbury in Bourneville for three years.In 1909 she became Medical Officer to Walthamstow Sanatorium and was elected a Member of the British Medical Association.. She gained her doctorate (MD) in 1910. She received a Diploma in Public Health (DPH) in the same year. Her Edinburgh address was 36 St Albans Road in the Grange. In Edinburgh she worked under the tuberculosis pioneer Prof Robert William Philip.
In 1914 she moved to Cambridge as Medical Officer of Health for Cambridgeshire.
In the First World War she was the few women co-opted into joining theWomen’s Medical Unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1916. She embarked in September 1916. She served at the no.65 Hospital in Malta treating wounded from Gallipoli until July 1917, then following attacks on hospital ships in Malta was assigned to be relocated to Salonika. Together with other medical staff and patients they embarked on HMT Abbassieh on 4 July 1917. It was escorted by HMS Aster and HMS Azalea. HMS Aster hit a mine 11 miles off the coast of Malta with the loss of ten lives. Azalea hit a mine going to her rescue, but with no loss of life. The convoy was forced to return to port to repair at Marsaxlokk harbour. HMT Abbassieh left a second time on 6 July, this time successfully reaching Salonika. A new 65 General Hospital was created there, becoming operational on 30 July. There were 8 lady doctors in total: Mary Alice Blair (in overall charge); Elizabeth Herdman Lepper; Ida Emilie Fox; Ethne Haigh; Effie Craig; Elizabeth Hurdon; Margaret McEnery; and Jessie Gellatly. The lady doctors were classed as civilian surgeons. They received the same pay (24 shillings plus a final gratuity of £60) and conditions as their male counterparts (a rarity in those days) but had no uniform until April 1918. On 18 September she transferred from the RAMC to the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps. After the Armistice she worked for the Serbian Relief Fund. In February 1919 she relinquished her commission and returned to civilian life.
She returned to work as Medical Officer of Health in Cambridgeshire in the summer of 1919. In this capacity she visited 130 schools twice per year. She lived at 17 Warkworth Street in Cambridge, a mid-terraced townhouse (still standing).
She died in a nursing-home in Cambridge on 30 June 1935 after a very short illness. She was only 52. but is buried in Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh with her parents. As an unmarried but wealthy woman she left almost all of her monies to the church.