Lillian Herald South Tye (January 31, 1879 – September 13, 1966) was an American physician from Bowling Green, Kentucky, who specialized in public health. South was a pioneer in her work as a bacteriologist, and she was a trailblazer as a female medical professional who broke prevalent gender barriers for women of her time.[1]
South was the Director of the Kentucky State Bacteriology Laboratory for thirty-nine years. She is credited with eliminating several contagious diseases from Kentucky, including hookworm.[1][2] South was involved with containing a severe epidemic of typhoid following the widespread flooding in 1937.[2][3]
South's work brought her national prominence, and she frequently presented her work to medical associations and the public across the country. In 1922 South established the first lab technician training program in the United States; the graduates of the program worked in medical laboratories around the world. She was heavily involved with medical organizations, and was the first woman to hold the position of vice president of the American Medical Association.[1][4][5]
Family and early life
Lillian Herald South, the daughter of Dr. John F. and Martha (Moore) South, was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky on January 31, 1879.[1][3]
South attended local public schools in Warren County and after graduation from high school, she went to Potter College, a local college. She completed a B.A. degree at the age of 18. South then left the state to attend a nurses training program in New Jersey. In 1896, she graduated from the Nurses Training School of the Central Hospital at Paterson, New Jersey. She furthered her schooling by studying medicine at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of Drexel University). After graduating in 1903, she interned to study bacteriology. When she completed her internship, for a short period of time, she joined a medical practice in Bowling Green with her father who was a physician. Then South joined the medical practice of Dr. J. N. McCormack and Dr. A.T. McCormack.[1][6]
Career
St. Joseph's Hospital
In 1906, South and her medical partners opened a health care facility in order to make local hospital care available to the people of Warren County. She remodeled and enlarged her house in Bowling Green to establish St. Joseph's Hospital. The hospital, with 42 beds, allowed the local physicians to offer around the clock local medical and nursing care to their own patients, and provide care to the young people who temporarily relocated to Bowling Green for their education.[1][6]
Kentucky State Board of Health
In 1910, South was employed by the State Board of Health as the State Bacteriologist. From this position, South became a major influence on public health in the United States through her medical research and training programs. She also had a large positive impact on the health and well-being of Kentucky's people through the medical services she provided through the State Laboratory.[1][6]
Through her work at the State Board of Health, South's reashearch into hookworms, rabies, and leprosy lowered the incidents of the diseases in Kentucky. She led a public campaign to eliminate hookworm and is credited for virtually eradicating the once widely prevalent disease from the state.[1] She lobbied the Kentucky State Legislature to ban the use of the public drinking cup.[1]
South kept a separate residence from her husband during the week in order to continue her medical career. On weekends and holidays she traveled to stay at their shared house in Williamsburg, Kentucky.[10] He died on July 3, 1948.[9]
References
^ abcdefghijkl"Dr Lillian Herald South". Warren County Medical Society official website. Bowling Green, Kentucky: Warren County Medical Society. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
^ ab"Medicine"(PDF). Famous Kentucky Women. Lexington, Kentucky: Cooperative Extension Service University of Kentucky. p. 6. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
^ abBaird, Nancy D. Editor, Kleber, John E. 1992. The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, Ky: University Press of Kentucky. Page 833. Accessed on 31 March 2010
^ abcKentucky State Medical Association. (1913). Kentucky Medical Journal. Louisville, Ky: The Kentucky State Medical Association. page 160. Accessed on 31 March 2010.
