Matilda Arabella Evans (May 13, 1866 – November 17, 1935) was the first African-American woman licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina and an advocate for improved health care for African Americans, particularly children.
Early life
Matilda Arabella Evans was born on May 13, 1866, to Anderson and Harriet Evans in Aiken, South Carolina. Matilda was the oldest of three children and spent much of the beginning of her life working in fields alongside her family. She attended the Schofield Industrial School, which was established by Martha Schofield, a Philadelphia Quaker. The Alfred Jones to whom this letter is addressed was Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Board of Corporators of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.
In 1897 Evans received a medical degree and abandoned her goal of becoming a medical missionary in Africa to move to Columbia, South Carolina and set up a practice. She received her M.D. in 1897 and moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she was the first African-American woman to establish a medical practice in the state.
Evans becoming a surgeon was also the product and achievement of schools for women. In its early days, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, or Woman's Medical College as it was renamed in 1867, faced serious opposition from the male medical establishment. Prevailing notions held women to be too feeble-minded to succeed in the demanding arena of academic medicine and too delicate to endure the physical requirements of clinical practice. One of the most serious barriers to the success of the college was the lack of clinical experience available to its students and interns because area hospitals would not allow women to attend lectures or to treat patients. To remedy this situation, Ann Preston, M.D., a member of the College’s first graduating class, founded Woman’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the college itself was housed in rented hospital space from 1862 to 1875. The college eventually built its own hospital, floor by floor as funds allowed, from 1903 until 1913.
As the first African-American woman licensed to practice in South Carolina, Evans was able to treat both white and black patients, causing her services to be in great demand. She built up a large clientele of wealthy white women, who paid her sufficiently to allow her to treat poor black women and children for free. Dr. Evans took care of patients in her house before the establishment of the Taylor Lane Hospital because there were no medical facilities at the time that would allow an African-American physician to treat and admit patients. By 1907 Evans was able to write to Alfred Jones, Bursar at Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, "I have done well, and have a very large practice among all classes of people... I have had unlimited success... Since I have returned to my native state, others have been inspired and have gone to our beloved college to take degrees." She was writing to Alfred Jones on behalf of a promising young African-American woman who wanted to attend WMCP but was in need of scholarship assistance.
Child and community health care advocacy
Matilda Evans was highly active in her community. In addition to establishing Taylor Lane Hospital (which became St. Luke’s Hospital and Training School for Nurses after a fire destroyed the first hospital), she established a community health organization, a community center and a boys’ pool (Dr. Evans Park and Swimming Pool) among other countless benefits to Columbia’s black community. Throughout her life Evans also adopted seven children and eventually fostered over two dozen more. Evans also conducted a survey of black school-age children in Columbia, South Carolina and found serious problems with their health care; she used the results to implement routine health examinations in schools.
Roles in organizations
In 1922 Dr. Matilda Evans became the only black woman in the United States to serve as the president of a state medical association when she became president of South Carolina's Palmetto M.A. Evans also served as a regional Vice President of the National Medical Association and also established the Negro Health Journal of South Carolina. Every qualified doctor, male or female of any age, was able to apply for admission into the Corps. Senate Bill 1424, passed in April 1908, granted the US Army authority to set up a reserve body of medical personnel. This became the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the unit remained active until 1917 when it was merged into the Officer's Reserve Corps. To qualify for admission into the MRC applicants had to meet certain criteria and, since many did not, they were left unable to serve their country. Franklin H. Martin, chairman of the General Medical Board of the Council of National Defense, saw an opportunity to ease the burden on the medical system in the United States by utilizing this untapped source of medical expertise, and spearheaded the creation of the VMSC. The casualties of World War I strained the medical profession in the United States. According to the International Journal of Surgery (Vol. 31, Sept. 1912), by July 1912, doctors were being signed up for military service at a rate of 540 per week and it was estimated by the US Army that at least 50,000 doctors would be needed for the war effort. This high demand left many communities without doctors so the Volunteer Medical Services Corps (VMSC) was established to ensure that civilians were not left without adequate care. She was religious, and served as chair of the Council of the Episcopal Church Upper Diocese.