Mary McMillan
Mary McMillan | |
|---|---|
 Mary McMillan, from a 1919 newspaper | |
| Born | Mary Jennie Livingston McMillan November 28, 1880 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 1959 (age 78) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Physical therapist |
Mary Jennie Livingston McMillan (November 28, 1880 – October 24, 1959) was an American physical therapist, and the founding president of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Early life and education
[edit]McMillan was born in Hyde Park, Boston,[1] the daughter of Archibald McMillan and Kate McMillan. Her father was born in Scotland. She was raised by Mary Livingston, an aunt in England, after her mother and sister died.[2][3] She trained as a physical educator, and graduated from Liverpool Gymnasium College in 1905, with further training at hospitals in London.[4][5]
Career
[edit]McMillan worked in hospitals in Liverpool from 1914 to 1916 and in Maine from 1916 to 1918.[5] In 1918 she began at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was the first "reconstruction aide" in the new Division of Physical Reconstruction.[6][7] She trained rehabilitation aides at Reed College[8] to work with wounded and disabled soldiers.[9] In 1921, she was founder and first president of the American Women's Physical Therapeutic Association, now known as the American Physical Therapy Association.[10] She was also president of the Massachusetts Physical Therapy Association.[2]
Between the wars, McMillan worked at a private orthopedic practice in Boston, and published a textbook, Massage and Therapeutic Exercise (1921).[11] She taught summer courses in physiotherapy to army nurses at Harvard Medical School. In 1932, she became director of physiotherapy at Peking Union Medical College in China.[1][2]
During World War II, McMillan worked at an American army hospital in Manila. She was held by Japanese authorities at Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines, and at Chapei prison camp in Shanghai, until 1944.[2] She attended the 25th anniversary conference of the American Physical Therapy Association in 1946, and spoke about the organization's founding.[12]
Personal life and legacy
[edit]McMillan died in 1959, at the age of 78, in Boston.[13] In 1963, the American Physical Therapy Association named its Mary McMillan Scholarship Award in her memory.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Physiotherapy Meet Brings Together Two of Pacific's Heroines". The Asheville Times. 1946-06-18. pp. 1, 8. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Mary McMillan Tells of Life in Jap Prison Camp". The Herald-Sun. 1945-04-09. p. 10. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dreeben-Irimia, Olga (2010-10-22). Introduction to Physical Therapy for Physical Therapist Assistants. Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 8–10. ISBN 978-0-7637-8130-9.
- ^ Hershey, Henry (2002-10-23). "A History of Physical Therapy". The Ephrata Review. p. 21. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Reed Gets Expert; Miss Mary McMillan, of England, to be Instructor Here; War Experience of Value". The Sunday Oregonian. 1918-06-23. p. 12. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Remembering the Reconstruction Aides". World War I Centennial site. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ Groves, Larry (1998-10-30). "Military training birthplace of the physical therapy profession". Times Record News. p. 83. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Army Cases Varied; Work of Reconstruction Aides Explained by Nurse; Women Respond to Call". The Oregonian. 1918-07-08. p. 12. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "All Army Hospitals to Give Physio-Therapy Treatment". Evening Star. 1919-04-22. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jenkins, Bess (1968-06-30). "Demand for Physical Therapists Growing". The Lincoln Star. p. 10. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McMillan, Mary (1921). Massage and Therapeutic Exercise. W. B. Saunders.
- ^ "Therapists Cite History of Unit; Mary McMillan Recalls History; Round-Up is Conducted on Polio". The News and Observer. 1946-06-18. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Morning Death Notices". The Boston Globe. 1959-10-26. p. 32. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Physical Therapy Award Goes to UI Senior". Iowa City Press-Citizen. 1967-06-28. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-02 – via Newspapers.com.