Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott (March 18, 1868 – September 2, 1940) was a Canadian physician and medical researcher whose work contributed to the early study of congenital heart disease.
She was among the first women in Canada to earn a medical degree and one of the first women to receive a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. After being denied admission to McGill’s medical faculty, she completed her medical education at Bishop’s University and went on to develop a career in pathology, medical curation, and clinical research. Abbott held curatorial and teaching roles at McGill, co-founded the International Association of Medical Museums, and published extensively, including the Atlas of Congenital Cardiac Disease (1936). She was also involved in professional organizations supporting women in medicine. Abbott later received an honorary medical degree from McGill and was posthumously recognized through several national and institutional honours.
Early life and education
Maude Elizabeth Seymour Babin was born in St. Andrews East on 18 March 1868. Both of her parents were absent during infancy, as her mother had died of tuberculosis when Abbott was 7 months old, and her father had abandoned her and her older sister, Alice. She was a cousin of John Abbott, Canada's third Prime Minister.
Abbott was home-schooled until she was 15 years old. In 1885, she graduated from a private Montreal seminary high school. completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1890, graduating as class valedictorian and receiving the Lord Stanley Gold Medal.
After earning her medical degree, Abbott spent three years in Europe. During this time, she took further courses in pathology and gained practical experience in women’s hospitals and in a psychiatric institution, building on her Canadian medical training.
Career
Later in 1894, she opened her own practice in Montreal, worked with the Royal Victoria hospital, and was nominated and elected as the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society's first female member.
In 1897, she opened an independent clinic dedicated to treating women and children. There, she did much first-hand research in pathology.
In 1905, In 1925, Abbott returned to McGill, becoming an assistant professor. She also gave countless lectures.
Death
On 2 September 1940, Abbott died from a brain hemorrhage in Montreal.
- Bronze plaque erected on the McIntyre Medical Sciences Building at McGill University commemorating her contributions to pathology and medical education, 2000.