 |
| War Department photo identification card, September 3, 1918 |
America's entry into World War I provided many new opportunities for women. In the medical profession they had previously been limited to nursing, but for the first time the army accepted female contract surgeons. One of those was Missourian Dr. Esther Leonard. Her papers are located at the Missouri History Museum and have been selected for digitization by Over There project staff.
Dr. Leonard signed a contract of service on May 21, 1918, just after her graduation from medical school in St. Louis. She was one of fifty-five women in the first group of contract surgeons. Most of the women received first Lieutenant's pay ($150 a month) but not the rank, pension, bonus, or regulation uniforms that the men received. Only seven of the women, including Dr. Leonard, were sent over seas.
 |
| Contract with a Private Physician for Service as Contract Surgeon, U.S. Army, May 21, 1918 |
 |
| Contract with a Private Physician for Service as Contract Surgeon, U.S. Army, May 21, 1918. The back of the contract also served as a pay record. |
After signing her contract, Dr. Leonard was sent to the U.S. Army General Hospital No. 1 in New York City where she received extensive training in anesthesia. In August 1918, she was transfered to an evacuation hospital in Souilly (Meuse) France. When the war ended in November 1918, she was working at the Anesthetic Unit No. 1 at Vichy, France. On January 18, 1919, Dr. Leonard requested to be relieved from duty so that she could return home to support her parents.
 |
| Dr. Leonard's letter of resignation, January 18, 1919 |
Sources:
Leonard Papers, Dr. Esther, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Missouri
Minerva: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military - Summer 2002 American Women doctors in WWI - Women - Great War Forum
