Dr Mary 'Eppynt' Phillips
Dr Mary Elizabeth ‘Eppynt’ Phillips
This is based on the papers in the care of Valerie Lewis (Dr Phillips’ niece), that have now been donated to the Breconshire Local & Family History Society.
Mary was born in Brecon on the 18th October 1874 but spent her childhood at Merthyr Cynog on the Epynt. Her parents were married in St Cynog’s Church and they lived at Presbeli Farm.
Little is known about her early life but she went to study medicine in 1893 at the University College of South Wales & Monmouthshire – now University College Cardiff. This was one of the first places to award degrees. She graduated in 1898, becoming the first female doctor to qualify from a Welsh University. She moved to London to complete her qualification, studying at the Royal Free School of Medicine for Women. She passed her qualifications there in 1900.
She was not the first Welsh woman to become a doctor, but was the first from a Welsh Medical School. (1st was Frances Hoggan who studied in Switzerland)
Being a woman in a man’s world it was not easy gaining a position to work, but started in Nottingham in 1901 as an anaesthetist, locum and registrar. In 1904 she was elected to the British Gynaecological Society, still giving her address as Methyr Cynog. This changed in 1905 when she opened her own private medical practice in Leeds. (no NHS then!). Leeds maternity Hospital opened in 1905 for women who were too poor to pay for private care.
She was an innovator – the pre and post care offered were way before their time (late pregnancy diet, post-partum care). She resigned from Leeds in 1909 and became the temporary medical Inspector for Schools within Leeds. That year she spoke to Brecon Girl’s County School, having been invited by Gwenllian Morgan. She continued to be an active guest speaker and focusing on the health of women and young children. In 1911 introduction of the National Health Insurance Act began to remove the stigma of relying on the Poor Law for welfare.
Dr Phillips was an active member of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. This led to her using ‘Eppynt’ as her middle name as another Mary Phillips, who was the leader of the Leeds Movement was interviewed by police in 1912 after condoning violence. Dr Phillips had to take steps to not be mistaken for her namesake.
Another suffragist, Dr Elsie Inglis suggested on the outbreak of WW1 that medical units be allowed on the western Front. By the end of 1914 enough money had been raised to send units, staffed mostly by female doctors, to the front. The War Office curtly told her to ‘go home and sit still, woman’! However, the French and Belgians accepted the offer.
Dr Phillips was sent to Calais in1914 to a typhoid hospital with Belgian patients. She stayed for a year until the epidemic ceased. She frequently wrote home about the conditions under which she worked. She had returned to Wales in 1915 when she was requested to go to Serbia. She was to work in the 2nd unit stationed there. She travelled by sea to Malta where she helped out with casualties from Gallipoli, mostly ANZAC troops.
The doctors of the Scottish Women’s Hospital for Foreign Service then travelled to Serbia. They went to Valjevo where typhoid and scurvy were rife. They used herbal teas of local dandelion and sorrel to treat many that could not walk due to ulcerations. Treatments used in Calais did not work in Serbia due to the general poor health, particularly lack of Vit C. Poor water and lack of food hampered the whole situation with staff routinely falling ill. She was eventually invalided back to Leeds in the October of 1915.
When she had recovered, she began a lecture tour to raise funds for SWHFS. In 1916 whilst she was in Brecon, she was requested to return to medical service. She joined the SWHFS in Ajaccio, Corsica and worked there from April 1916 to June 1917.
She lectured once again when she returned and was reported in the local papers about Serbia. In particular a group of 60000 boys were sent to the Adriatic Coast hoping that they would reach safety. Half never got there and when they did, the ship that were supposed to take them to safety had been torpedoed. They turned south but only 3500 were left when they reached safety. These lads were house by the French on Corsica. Eventually 300 were well enough to be sent to Britain to be educated. Of the others, TB claimed many.
She was awarded the medal of The Order of Saint Sava IV, Officer grade by the King of Serbia. She was later awarded medals from the French Red Cross, British War Medal and Allied Victory medal, The SWH medal for service.
She Returned to Leeds in August 1917 and continued to lecture and raise money for the refugees from Serbia. After various other duties, she finally stood down from her war work in November 1919.
By now she was 45. She could have taken it easy with a private medical practice but opted to work in Merthyr Tydfil. She was the Assistant medical Officer of Health and assistant school medical Officer from 1920 to 1929.
He lectured still in support of the Serbian refugees but also gave a lecture in Builth Wells where she raised money for the poorest children in Methyr.
From her retirement in 1929 she travelled to Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Palestine.
Her lectures continued and was recorded as being in Builth in 1945, describing her Tour of Czechoslovakia.
She died on the 1st August 1956 aged 81 years and is buried in Merthyr Cynog churchyard.