Two women revolutionized the medical industry. They were also madly in love.

[Jessica_Rose]

These two women revolutionized the medical industry. They were also madly in love.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/these-two-women-revolutionized-the-medical-industry-they-were-also-madly-in-love/ar-BB1jvfve?ocid=windirect&cvid=710668ce42634f4480986c971d5f5eef&ei=31

Story by Rebecca Batley (7 March 2024)

Martha May Eliot and Ethel Collins Dunham's astounding medical achievements have largely been lost to history, overshadowed by the pair's forbidden, impassioned love for one another, a love that persisted despite many efforts to destroy it.

But the effect both women had on the development of women's healthcare, pediatric health, and LGBTQ+ acceptance in scientific circles cannot be overstated. While not many know their names, their impact lives on in the way our medical establishment operates today.

The hundreds of letters written by Eliot, held today at Harvard Library, provide a remarkable insight into the work of one of the twentieth century's foremost pediatric and health specialists. They also detail her lifelong love affair with Collins, a fellow doctor.

Eliot became the only woman to sign the WHO Constitution, and both women were recognized as world leaders in the field of neonatal and women's public health.

In 1957, the American Pediatric Society awarded Dunham the John Howland medal, making her the first woman to receive the organization's highest possible honor (Eliot was the second in 1967).

Dunham died in 1969 and Eliot in 1978. Dunham's obituaries focused on her profession and sought to conceal the true nature of her relationship with Eliot. But their romance had been the foundation of their careers and their lives.