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{{Infobox medical person
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| name = Florence Dissent
| honorific_suffix = MD
| image = File:Florence Dissent.jpg
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| caption = Image of Florence Dissent from ''Indian Medical Record''.
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1869|7|9}}
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'''Florence Dissent''', known later as '''Mrs. Dissent Barnes''', (born July 9, 1869) was an [[Anglo-Indian]] medical practitioner and surgeon. Dissent was among the first female Indian doctors to practice medicine.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bhadra|first=Mita|date=2011|title=Indian Women in Medicine: An Enquiry Since 1880|journal=Indian Anthropologist|volume=41|issue=1|pages=17–43|issn=0970-0927|jstor=41921931}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Dissent was born in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], India. She was educated at home until the age of eight. She then became a day-pupil at [[Loreto Schools, Kolkata|Loreto Convent]], where she stayed until the age of 14.<ref name="ourpic" />

Dissent received her [[Doctor of Medicine|doctor of medicine]] (MD) from Brussels. She was licensed through the [[Triple Qualification]] from the Scottish medical and surgical colleges: the [[Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh]], the [[Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh]], and [[Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow]].<ref>[http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/college/journal/triple-qualification-examination-scottish-medical-and-surgical-colleges-1884-1993 Triple Qualification], retrieved 24 May 2018</ref>

== Medical career ==
After qualifying in medicine, Dissent worked at the Dufferin Hospital in [[Allahabad|Allahbad]] under a Dr. McConaghey.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | title = Current Medical Topics | journal = The Indian Medical Gazette | volume = 27 | issue = 2 | pages = 51–52 | date = February 1892 | pmid = 28999980 | pmc = 5136886 }}</ref> The Dufferin staff, in 1892, consisted of Dissent, two male European surgeons, ten nurses, a [[midwife]], a dresser, a [[Compounding|compounder]], and a [[matron]].<ref name=":0" /> Dissent was attached to the [[Countess of Dufferin Fund|Dufferin Fund]] and later the [[Women’s Medical Service for India|Women's Medical Service for India]].

Dissent's work was published at least three times during her career. In 1891,the ''[[The Indian Medical Gazette|Indian Medical Gazette]]'' published a gynecological case study from her practice at Allahbad''.''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dissent|first=Florence|date=December 1891|title=Mirror of Medicine: Two Cases of Large Uterine Polypus|journal=Indian Medical Gazette|pages=334 }}</ref> In that study, Dissent describes two cases of uterine polyps in her patients, detailing the medical history, symptoms, and treatments of each patient. In 1892, Dissent's notes on the Dufferin Hospital were published in ''Indian Medical Gazette.''<ref name=":0" /> Here, it was noted that Dissent herself performed 30 major operations from January to August 1892, ranging from cataract operations to obstetrics and gynecology and plastics. In the same time, Dufferin Hospital saw more than 100 minor cases per month. In these publications, Dissent's title is 'Miss' because she practiced as a surgeon.<ref name="miss">[https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/patient-care/surgical-staff-and-regulation/qualifications-of-a-surgeon/#Why acting as surgeon], RCSEng, Retrieved 24 May 2018</ref> Throughout her career, Florence published under both Miss Dissent and Mrs. Dissent Barnes.

In 1895, the ''Indian Medical Record'' published a full-page biographical sketch of Dissent.<ref name=ourpic/> She was held up as a role model to encourage women to enter medicine. The article implored Indian woman to become medical practitioners particularly for the sake of treating the [[Zenana|zenanas]], who could not be seen by male doctors.<ref name=ourpic>{{Cite journal|date=1 May 1895|title=Our Picture Gallery: Miss Florence Dissent|journal=Indian Medical Record|pages=334 }}</ref>

By 1912, Dissent had married and moved to [[Bhopal district|Bhopal]], India. In February of 1912, Dissent, now known as Mrs. Dissent Barnes, was visited by [[Sidney Webb|Sidney]] and [[Beatrice Webb]] during their travels. The Webbs noted the prevalence of syphilis in the area and were taken to see Dissent's hospital, which treated only women and children. Dissent had also been charged by the [[Begum]] of Bhopal, [[Sultan Jahan, Begum of Bhopal|Sultan Jahan]], to train the native midwives. These midwives (''dais'') were prevented from practicing if they had not taken a course by Dissent or if they had been suspended by her.<ref name="Webb1992">{{cite book|author=Sidney Webb|title=The Webbs in Asia: The 1911–12 Travel Diary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3DevCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA249|date=18 June 1992|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-349-12328-5|pages=249–}}</ref>

In 1922, Dissent was employed to the Government of [[Mumbai|Bombay]] to inquire into the maternity conditions of industrial women workers.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=4 February 1922|title=Maternity Conditions in India|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1941478|journal=The Lancet|pages=216 |volume=199 | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(01)25620-7}}</ref> A year later, her report on the subject was published in the ''Bombay Labour Gazette''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Work of Medical Women in India|last1=Balfour|first1=Margaret Ida|last2=Young|first2=Ruth|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1929|location=London|pages=176}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dissent, Florence}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:Date of death missing]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Indian surgeons]]
[[Category:Women surgeons]]

Florence Dissent - Revision history

UpdateBot at 05:43, 9 January 2022