James Barry: entre bisturíes y secretos, una vida que desafió las normas

Jefferson J. Gutiérrez; Joseph J. Castro; Vicente A. Franco; Irene N. Panta; Arnaldo E. Quiroz

doi:10.36097/rgcs.v2i1.3162

Authors

Jefferson J. Gutiérrez Carrera de Medicina, Universidad San Gregorio de Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2910-8840
Joseph J. Castro Carrera de Medicina, Universidad San Gregorio de Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7522-5390
Vicente A. Franco Carrera de Medicina, Universidad San Gregorio de Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5861-1968
Irene N. Panta Carrera de Medicina, Universidad San Gregorio de Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9587-3459
Arnaldo E. Quiroz Centro de Salud Puerto López, Ministerio de Salud Pública, Manabí, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3763-3878

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36097/rgcs.v2i1.3162

Keywords:

James Barry, military surgery, gender and Medicine, sanitary reforms

Abstract

James Barry, born like Margaret Ann Bulkley, faced rigid 19th-century rules after adopting a male identity to access medicine, a field forbidden to women. Her career included notable achievements such as the first documented Caesarean section in the British Empire with the survival of both mother and child, and reforms in military hospitals that improved sanitary conditions. Barry also promoted vaccination campaigns for marginalized groups, such as prisoners and lepers, revolutionizing public health. She performed as a good character and her obsession with hygiene and surgical innovation made her an influential figure. Her relationship with Lord Charles Somerset protected her secret, but generated controversies that marked her career. After her death, the discovery of her biological sex unleashed a scandal that did not overshadow her history in medicine.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Albornoz, C., Carrillo, K., Vargas, V., Pedrero, P., Fernández, M., Fonseca, V., Pérez, L., Rodríguez, C., Rojas, K., Plass, I., & Camacho, J. (2021). Visibilizando a las Cirujanas en Chile. Revista de Cirugía, 73(4), 476-482. https://doi.org/10.35687/s2452-45492021004976

Bai, X. (2021). A female surgeon’s thoughts on gender attributes in surgery. Hepatobiliary Surgery and Nutrition, 10(3), 370-372. https://doi.org/10.21037/hbsn-2021-14

Blackwell, E. (2023). The influence of women in the profession of medicine. En Scientific and Medical Knowledge Production, 1796-1918 (1st ed.). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003009450-14/influence-women-profession-medicine-elizabeth-blackwell

Carroll, M.A., Boynes, S., Jerome-Majewska, L.A., & Topp, K.S. (2022). The imperative for scientific societies to change the face of academia: Recommendations for immediate action. Anatomical Record, 305(4), 1019-1031. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24735

Daniel, M., Holland, A., & Biswas, S. (2024). Breaking barriers, bending gender: The remarkable tale of Dr James Barry. Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery, 13(1), 10-11. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10030-1448

du Preez, M., & Dronfield, J. (2016). Dr James Barry: The woman who fooled the RCS and deceived the world. The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 98(9), 396-398. https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsbull.2016.396

duPreez, H.M. (2012). Dr James Barry (1789–1865): the Edinburgh years. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 42(3), 258-265. https://doi.org/10.4997/jrcpe.2012.315

duPreez, H.M. (2008). Dr James Barry: the early years revealed. South African Medical Journal, 98(1), 52-58. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.130

Haarer, F., & Subramanian, A. (2020). Shipwrecked to plain sailing. The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 102(1), 20-22. https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsbull.2020.20

Hanson, C.A. (2017). James Barry on art, freedom, and history painting. The Eighteenth Century, 58(2), 259-263. https://doi.org/10.1353/ecy.2017.0021

Hurwitz, B., & Richardson, R. (1989). Inspector General James Barry MD: putting the woman in her place. British Medical Journal, 298(6669), 299–305. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.298.6669.299

Kubba, A.K. (2001). The life, work and gender of Dr James Barry MD (1795-1865). Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 31(4), 352-356. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11833588/

Lacy-Niebla, M.C. (2023). El Dr. James Miranda Stuart Barry. Un gran médico con un gran secreto. Archivos de Cardiologia de México, 93(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.24875/acm.m22000084

Lefrère, B., Laas, E., & Kluger, N. (2024). Iconodiagnostic pitfalls for abnormal senological features in paintings by Dürer, the Le Nains, and Barry. Ethics, Medicine, and Public Health, 32, 100982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemep.2024.100982

Savona-Ventura, C. (1996). Dr. James Barry: An enigmatic army medical doctor. Maltese Medical Journal, 8(1), 41-47. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/620

Suffield, W.M. (2024). Hard-edged or hard done to? Women surgeons’ contributions to surgical ethics. Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 106(7), 388-391. https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsbull.2024.128

Tishma, M. (2020). A surgeon and a gentleman: The life of James Barry. Hektoen International, 12(3). https://hekint.org/2020/04/03/a-surgeon-and-a-gentleman-the-life-of-james-barry/

Vaquero, C., Brizuela, J.A., Del Blanco, I., Díez, M., García-Rivera, E., Hernández, C., & Flota, C. (2023). Mujeres cirujanas en la historia de la medicina. Anales de la Real Academia de Medicina y Cirugía de Valladolid, 56, 52-69. https://doi.org/10.24197/aramcv.56.2020.52-69