LibGuides: Women in Science and Medicine at the Rubenstein Library: Physicians

Searching the Catalog

These links are sample searches in the Duke Libraries catalog based on library subject headings related to women's roles as physicians and doctors. You can limit by location to "Rubenstein Library" to focus on historical sources.

Print Material

Below are just a few examples of printed books related to women physicians.

Manuscript Collections

Selected manuscript collections from the Rubenstein Library with a focus on women physicians. This is just a sample. There are other relevant manuscript sources to explore. Try searching the catalog with suggested subject terms (links in left sidebar) or consult with our librarians.

Florence Small Gaynor scrapbook, 1970-1972
Gaynor was the first African American woman to head a major teaching hospital. The scrapbook is devoted to Gaynor's groundbreaking appointment in 1971, with news clippings that document the appointment, and photographs of Gaynor being interviewed by reporters and accepting awards. There are congratulatory letters, notes, cards, and telegrams.
Jane Clarke-Owen Papers, 1869-1926
Collection consists primarily of Dr. Clarke-Owen's letters to her two daughters and other family members, and letters from each daughter to Dr. Clarke-Owen and others. The bulk of the letters were written between 1886 and 1919 and document the domestic lives, financial difficulties, and relationships of the women in the Clarke family. The letters written by Dr. Clarke-Owen document her years as a medical student in Chicago, her struggles in the medical profession, and her domestic life.
Bailey Daniel Webb papers, 1845-2003
Early female graduate of Duke University School of Medicine (M.D., 1946) and pediatrician in private practice in Durham Co., N.C., 1949-1987. Also includes Webb's 1941 doctoral thesis and other school records (1925-1933); as well as binders and scrapbooks compiled by Webb detailing her youth and schooling, private practice and hospital career, international trips, Durham history, chiefly in community medicine and governance, and various ancestors and relatives
Eva J. Salber Papers, 1937-1990 and undated; (bulk 1967-1990)
Physician and professor of community and family medicine. Correspondence, speeches, writings, clippings, photographs and printed materials related to Salber's extensive carer in the community health field. Particularly highlighted is her research concerning smoking in school children and the elderly in rural communities and her positions with the Martha Eliot Center in Boston and the Duke University Medical Center. Also included are background materials (tapes, transcripts, and photographs) for her two books The Mind is Not the Heart and Don't Send Me Flowers When I'm Dead (1983)

Duke Medical Center Archives

Duke's Medical Center Archives is supported by the School of Medicine and is administratively part of the Medical Center Library.. The actively collect the official records of DUMC and DUHS departments and divisions. Visit their site for details on access to their collections.

Eleanor B. Easley Papers, 1928-2000
Dr. Easley was the first female graduate of Duke's School of Medicine's first four-year class. In 1941, Easley helped co-found the Durham Women's Clinic. Types of materials include notes from talks and presentations, short writings, meeting minutes, agendas, articles, reports, photographs, correspondence, memberships, degrees, awards, and clippings. Major subjects include Durham, North Carolina; nursing; obstetrics and gynecology; women physicians; women's health; and Watts Hospital
Shirley K. Osterhout Papers, 1966-2004
Contains the professional papers of Shirley K. Osterhout, former medical director of Duke University Poison Control Center and assistant dean of medical education of Duke University Medical Center. Materials include correspondence, clippings, programs, handwritten notes, 35mm slides, a syllabus, a negative, a photograph, and educational materials, such as brochures, posters, reprints, and pamphlets. Major subjects include poisoning prevention and safety measures, treatment of poisoning, and Duke University Poison Control Center. Materials date from 1966 to 2004.

Digitized Content

Duke Medical Center Archives - Women in Duke Medicine
An online exhibit highlighting women in Duke Medicine, including oral histories. The exhibit shares the stories of individual women and to also go deeper into the context in which those stories took place.
Women in Medicine
Online materials from Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) related to women and their roles in medicine as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and more.
Doctor or Doctress?
Drexel University's site of primary sources related to women's entry into the professional world as physicians, including letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and more.
Changing the Face of Medicine
From the National Library of Medicine, an exhibit that highlights ways that women have influenced and enhanced the practice of medicine.