Isabella Coler Herb facts for kids

Isabella Coler Herb (born 1863 or 1864, died 1943) was an amazing American doctor. She was a pioneer in two important medical fields: pathology (studying diseases) and anesthesiology (giving medicine to make patients sleep during surgery). Isabella worked for over 50 years! She was the first woman doctor to focus on anesthesiology. She was also the first specialist in her fields at the famous Mayo Clinic. In 1933, she even designed a special machine called the Herb–Mueller apparatus to help give patients ether. She led the anesthesia department at Presbyterian Hospital and was the first woman president of the American Association of Anesthetists.

Early Life and Family

Isabella Coler was born in Clyman, Wisconsin. Her mother, Mary Ann O'Keefe, was American, and her father, George Coler, was French. Isabella grew up with three sisters and one brother. She married Charles Albert Herb, a musician from Texas. Sadly, she became a widow in 1888.

Becoming a Doctor and Early Work

Isabella Herb is known for being the first woman doctor to specialize in anesthesiology. She started studying at the Chicago Women's Medical College in 1889. Her goal was to become a surgeon. She graduated in 1892.

After college, she did an internship at the Mary Thompson Hospital for Women in Chicago. She helped the medical staff and worked with Lawrence Prince. He was a pioneer in using chloroform and a method called "open drop ether" to put patients to sleep. Later, Herb worked as both an anesthetist and a pathologist at Augustana Hospital in Chicago. In 1898, she published her case work, becoming the first woman to publish in these fields.

In 1899, a hospital department head named Albert J. Ochsnerl suggested she go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic was growing very fast. They needed more trained medical staff. Isabella Herb was brought in to handle pathology and anesthesia. This helped free up other Mayo doctors for different tasks. She became the Mayo Clinic's first woman specialist in her chosen fields. Herb stayed at the Mayo Clinic until 1904. Then, she left to study medicine even more in Europe.

Returning and Later Career

When Isabella Herb came back from Europe in 1905, she worked at Rush Medical College in Chicago. From 1909 to 1941, she had a fellowship in pathology there. She was the first woman on their staff. She also received money from the American Medical Association. This allowed her to work with a microbiologist named Ludvig Hektoen at the Memorial Institute for Infectious Diseases. In 1909, Arthur Dean Bevan chose her to lead the anesthesia department at Presbyterian Hospital. This hospital later joined with Rush Medical College in 1969.

In 1911, a big discussion happened about whether nurses should be allowed to give anesthesia. The New York State Medical Society believed nurses were not specifically licensed for it. Herb agreed that only doctors should decide a patient's health before anesthesia. Nurses argued they were fully trained to see how patients reacted to the medicine.

Throughout her career, Herb wrote many articles about her medical studies. She was also named the first woman president of the American Association of Anesthetists.

The Herb–Mueller Apparatus

The Herb–Mueller apparatus became available around 1933. It was named after Isabella Herb, who designed it, and V. Mueller & Co. of Chicago, who made it. Doctors and dentists used this machine. It had two main jobs: it could give ether to patients to make them sleep, and it also had a suction part to keep the surgical area clean.

Final Years and Legacy

Isabella Herb retired in 1941. She was a professor of surgery (anesthesia). She had taught hundreds of students and trained many interns. Even though she originally wanted to be a surgeon, she spent over 50 years working closely with important surgeons as a pathologist and anesthetist. She died two years after retiring, on May 28, 1943. She was buried in her hometown of Clyman, Wisconsin.