{"id":22412,"date":"2023-01-19T18:37:38","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T18:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/?page_id=22412"},"modified":"2023-01-19T19:28:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T19:28:28","slug":"immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]<style>.vcex-heading.vcex_69f510305b1b7{font-size:36px;}<\/style><div class=\"vcex-heading vcex-heading-plain vcex-module wpex-heading wpex-text-2xl vc_custom_1674153878235 vcex_69f510305b1b7\"><span class=\"vcex-heading-inner wpex-inline-block\">JP\u2019s Immigrant Women: Pioneers in Medicine<\/span><\/div>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1674156499822{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;]<figure id=\"attachment_22410\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22410\" style=\"width: 378px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-22410\" src=\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\" alt=\"A 19th century photograph of the doctor wearing a dress with a lace collar.\" width=\"378\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg 1021w, https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska-300x289.jpg 300w, https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska-768x740.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22410\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Dr. Mary E. Zakrzewska, a Polish immigrant to Boston, launched the New England Hospital for Women and Children (now the Dimok Communicty Center) in 1862.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the late 19th century, Jamaica Plain was home to two immigrant women who were pioneers in the medical profession. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska (1829-1902) and Dr. Mary Morey Pearson (1861-1931) exemplify the bold part immigrant women have played in developing medical care at a time when women were fighting for their rights on multiple fronts.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Zakrzewska was born to Polish parents in Berlin in 1829. There she developed a successful career as a midwife. Yet frustrated by limited opportunities for women, she came to the US in 1853 and managed to gain admission to Cleveland&#8217;s all-male Western Reserve College where she received a medical degree in 1856. She moved to Boston in 1859 to become a professor of obstetrics at the New England Female Medical College. She settled in Jamaica Plain and became active in feminist and abolitionist circles in the area. Stymied at the New England Female Medical College in her attempts to expand the medical field for women beyond obstetrics, she resigned.<\/p>\n<p>Undaunted, in 1862 she launched the New England Hospital for Women and Children. The second hospital in the United States to be run by women, its foundation was a major leap forward. It expanded medical services available to women and to poorer populations, and it served as a training hospital for generations of women doctors and nurses. Now called Dimock Community Health Center, Dr. Zakrewka&#8217;s hospital continues to serve the Boston community.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22414\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22414\" style=\"width: 378px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Portrait.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-22414\" src=\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Portrait-669x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph of Dr. Mary Morey Pearson from the early 20th century wearing a dress and necklace.\" width=\"378\" height=\"579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Portrait-669x1024.jpg 669w, https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Portrait-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Portrait.jpg 714w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22414\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Dr. Mary Morey Pearson, born in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and later a resident of JP, was a pioneer in homeopathic medicine.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dr. Mary Morey Pearson was born in 1861 in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to a sea captain from Maine and a Ceylonese mother. What little we know about her life suggests she was a strong free-thinking woman. In 1885, she received her degree in medicine from Boston University School of Medicine. An early advocate and practician of homeopathic medicine, then considered an unorthodox field, she organized funds to open the first homeopathic dispensary in Boston. She married an immigrant from Nova Scotia and together they settled in Jamaica Plain, where she became a well-known doctor.<\/p>\n<p>Committed to civic and professional life, Dr. Pearson became the medical head of the American Benefit Society and a member of Advisory Council of the National Women&#8217;s Liberty Loan Program, the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society, and the Boston Homeopathic Society. As a woman of color, she was subjected to racism. In 1912, her husband was put on trial for beating a man who called her racist names. Pearson died at the age of 70 in her Jamaica Plain home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Miller, Heather. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jphs.org\/people\/2021\/8\/18\/mary-morey-pearson-md\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mary Morey Pearson, MD<\/a>.&#8221; Jamaica Plain Historical Society, August 2021.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1674156499822{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;] In the late 19th century, Jamaica Plain was home to two immigrant women who were pioneers in the medical profession. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska (1829-1902) and Dr. Mary Morey Pearson (1861-1931) exemplify the bold part immigrant women have played in developing medical care at a time&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":20765,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/no-sidebar.php","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[20,76,26,77,79,78,75],"class_list":["post-22412","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-boston","tag-doctor","tag-immigrant","tag-jamaica-plain","tag-marie-zakrzewska","tag-mary-mory-pearson","tag-women","entry","no-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1674156499822{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;] In the late 19th century, Jamaica Plain was home to two immigrant women who were pioneers in the medical profession. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska (1829-1902) and Dr. Mary Morey Pearson (1861-1931) exemplify the bold part immigrant women have played in developing medical care at a time&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Global Boston\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalBostonHistory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-19T19:28:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@johnsohi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/\",\"name\":\"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-19T18:37:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-19T19:28:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg\",\"width\":1021,\"height\":984,\"caption\":\"Dr. Mary E. Zakrzewska, a Polish immigrant to Boston, launched the New England Hospital for Women and Children (now the Dimok Communicty Center) in 1862.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Immigrant Places\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Jamaica Plain\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/\",\"name\":\"Global Boston\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Global Boston\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/06_01_012688_edited-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/06_01_012688_edited-1.jpg\",\"width\":1956,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Global Boston\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalBostonHistory\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/johnsohi\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston","og_description":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1674156499822{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;] In the late 19th century, Jamaica Plain was home to two immigrant women who were pioneers in the medical profession. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska (1829-1902) and Dr. Mary Morey Pearson (1861-1931) exemplify the bold part immigrant women have played in developing medical care at a time&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/","og_site_name":"Global Boston","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalBostonHistory\/","article_modified_time":"2023-01-19T19:28:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@johnsohi","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/","url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/","name":"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP - Global Boston","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-19T18:37:38+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-19T19:28:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Maria_E._Zakrzewska.jpg","width":1021,"height":984,"caption":"Dr. Mary E. Zakrzewska, a Polish immigrant to Boston, launched the New England Hospital for Women and Children (now the Dimok Communicty Center) in 1862."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/immigrant-women-medical-pioneers-of-jp\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Immigrant Places","item":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Jamaica Plain","item":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/home\/immigrant-places\/jamaica-plain\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Immigrant women medical pioneers of JP"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/","name":"Global Boston","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#organization","name":"Global Boston","url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/06_01_012688_edited-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/06_01_012688_edited-1.jpg","width":1956,"height":900,"caption":"Global Boston"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalBostonHistory\/","https:\/\/x.com\/johnsohi"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22412"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22418,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22412\/revisions\/22418"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalboston.bc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}