Women's History Month - Patricia E. Bath, M.D.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, Smithtown Matters is proud to recognize the accomplishments of women.  It is fascinating to learn the wonderful and interesting ways women have made their mark on the world.  Throughout March, SmithtownMatters will give a brief history of women who made a difference.

Day 5-Patricia E. Bath, M.D. - Ophthalmologist, Educator, Inventor and Laser Scientist. Invented a laser device and the technique for cataract surgery know as laserphaco. The first laser phaco probe was patented by Bath in 1986. 

Dr. Bath received her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in 1968. She did her fellowship in ophthalmology at Columbia University.  While at Columbia University she created a program she called “community opthalmology”.  This program designed to offer health care to underserved populations integrated public health, community medicine and clinical opthalmology.

Dr. Bath has a history of clearing a path for women.  In 1974 she was appointed to the faculty of UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute becoming the first woman ophthalmologist to do so.  In 1983 she became the first woman chair of an opthalmology program. She was also the first woman surgeon appointed to the Honorary Medical Staff of the UCLA Medical Center.

In 1976 Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.  Bath was also the first African American woman physician to receive a medical patent. Dr. Bath currently has five U.S. patents and five international patents.

Pat. No. 4,7443,60: Apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses, issued 17 May 1988. Pat. No. 5,843,071: Method and apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses, issued 1 December 1998. Pat. No. 5,919,186: Laser apparatus for surgery of cataractous lenses, issued 6 July 1999. Pat. No. 6,083,192: Pulsed ultrasound method for fragmenting/emulsifying and removing cataractous lenses, issued 4 July 2000.

 

Women's History Month - Mary Anderson

In recognition of Women’s History Month, Smithtown Matters is proud to recognize the accomplishments of women.  It is fascinating to learn the wonderful and interesting ways women have made their mark on the world.  Throughout March, SmithtownMatters will give a brief history of women who made a difference.

Day 4 –Mary Anderson – Inventor of The Windshield Wiper 1903.

Imagine driving through rain, snow and sleet without windshield wipers.  That’s exactly what people did before Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1903.  While visiting in New York Mary Anderson noticed that drivers had to stop their cars get out and physically remove the snow and ice that was accumulating on the cars windshield.  She started to imagine a way to clear the snow and ice without getting out of the car. 

 In 1904, Mary Anderson applied for a patent for her windshield device.    The device was a swinging arm with a rubber blade.  The arm was to be activated from within the car by turning a lever, which caused the spring-loaded arm with the rubber blade to swing across the windshield and then retreat to its original position. The wiper was also removable.

Mary Anderson’s patent was issued in 1905.  Although others had tried to resolve the windshield issue Mary Anderson’s invention was the first windshield wiper that worked. 

There were not many automobiles on the roads in 1905 however the Model T changed things.  In 1916 windshield wipers became standard equipment on the automobile.

Women's History Month - Martha Matilda Harper

In recognition of Women’s History Month, Smithtown Matters is proud to recognize the accomplishments of women. It is fascinating to learn the wonderful and interesting ways women have made their mark on the world. Throughout March, SmithtownMatters will give a brief history of women who made a difference.  

Day 3 - Martha Matilda Harper-(1857 - 1950) Created America’s first business franchising system in 1891.  Invented the reclining shampoo chair.

Martha Matilda Harper’s became a servant at age of seven. Originally from Canada, Martha worked as a house servant until her mid twenties at which time she lived in the Buffalo region of New York.  Martha, known for her Rapunzel like hair, began to manufacture a natural shampoo.  She opened the first professional salon.  Historically, hairdressers went to their patron’s homes.   Martha’s emphasis was on customer service.  In 1891 she created a network of salons each one owned and operated by women.  The women who became franchise owners shared a similar background of servitude with Martha.  The women underwent training in the “Harper Method”  of beauty.  Although each salon was independently owned Martha inspected the franchises and provided group insurance and advertising.  

Martha Matilda Harper had many famous patrons including Woodrow Wilson, Susan B. Anthony, President Calvin and First Lady Grace Coolidge as well a Jackie Kennedy. At one time there were over 500 Harper Salons in operation.  In addition to the salons there was a chain of Harper training schools.  

The concept of franchising is very popular in 2011. Some popular franchises today are Mc Donalds, Subway, Kiddie Academy and Ace Hardware.  

Women's History Month - Jacqueline Cochran

I found this video while I was looking for information about Fly Girl- Jacqueline Cochran.  The young woman who produced this project is almost as impressive as Jacqueline Cochran.  Enjoy !

MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter designated March 2-8, 1980, National Women’s History Week.  In his proclamation the president included these words, “ …But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.

Women have worked alongside men both in partnership and independently to build, tame, grow and improve America.  Despite a glass ceiling and discrimination women have participated and made contributions in every field of commerce, science, art, education and government.

Yet, so few of their accomplishments are acknowledged in our history books.  Too often, when recognition is given it is with an asterisk, the first female to….. .   When we fail to acknowledge and respect the contributions of women, society is the worse.

In 1987 Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. Every year since1987 there has been a Presidential Proclamation honoring the extraordinary achievements of American women.

Today starts National Women’s History Month 2011.  Let us recognize the contributions of women who, through their efforts, have made our lives and our society better. 

Throughout March Smithtown Matters will acknowledge the work of women who have made a difference. 

Rachel Carson – Biologist, Environmentalist and Author 1907 -1964

Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring.  In the book Rachel wrote about the dangers of popular pesticides including DDT. The book was the beginning of the movement to overhaul the nation’s policy on pesticides. Rachel Carson was diagnosed with breast cancer and died of complications from the disease and its treatment.

Below is a time line prepared by Linda Lear www.rachelcarson.org

Rachel Carson’s Life

1907 May 27	Carson born in Springdale, Pa.
1918 September	Published first story in St. Nicholas Magazine
1925 -1929	Carson attends Pennsylvania College for Women; majors in science. Carson goes to Woods Hole, MA to study marine biology. Begins graduate work in zoology at Johns Hopkins University
1932 May	Graduates with MA in zoology from Hopkins; goes again to Woods Hole to study at Bureau of Fisheries.
1935	Writes radio scripts for Bureau of Fisheries and publishes articles on natural history of the Chesapeake Bay for The Baltimore Sun. Writes “The World of Water” later published as “Undersea” in The Atlantic Monthly, September, 1937. Father, Robert Carson dies.
1936 -1952	Appointed Junior Aquatic Biologist with the Bureau of Fisheries, U.S. Department of Commerce. Becomes staff biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
1939	retires as editor in chief of all USFWS publications.
1937	Sister, Marian Carson Williams dies, leaving two daughters Virginia and Marjorie who live with Rachel and her mother.
1941	Under the Sea-wind. A Naturalist’s Picture of Ocean Life published by Simon& Schuster.
1947	Publishes first of five pamphlets in Conservation in Action series for USFWS.
1950	Confirmed breast tumor removed. No further treatment.
1951	The Sea Around Us., excerpted in “Profiles” of The New Yorker. The Sea Around Us published by Oxford University Press. Resigns from Government service to write full time.
1952	National Book Award for Non-fiction for The Sea Around Us; Roger Christie, Marjorie’s son born. RKO film version released; Awarded the John Burroughs Medal, April 1952. The Henry Grier Bryant Gold Medal, Geographical Society New York Zoological Society Gold Medal. Awarded a Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for research on tidal life.
1955	The Edge of the Sea published by Houghton Mifflin Co.
1956	July “Help Your Child to Wonder,” Women’s Home Companion. Published posthumously as The Sense of Wonder, Harper& Row, 1965.
1957	Rachel adopts Roger Christie after the death of his mother.
1960 April	Carson has radical mastectomy for breast cancer.
1962 June	First of three installments of Silent Spring published as Reporter at Large in The New Yorker September Silent Spring published by Houghton Mifflin December Silent Spring, a book-of-the-month club selection
1963 January	Albert Schweitzer award from Animal Welfare Institute April 3 CBS Reports airs “The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson.”
1963 June 3	Carson testifies on the misuse of pesticides; US Senate Subcommittee of Government Operations. 88th Cong. 1st.sess.
1963 June 6	Carson testifies before the US Senate Committee on Commerce December Awarded the National Audubon Society Medal. Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
1964 April 14	Carson dies in Silver Spring, Md. at age 56.