Mary Trye facts for kids
Mary Trye (born in 1642) was a woman who practiced medicine in Warwickshire, England, and in the city of London. This was a time when women were not allowed to become official, licensed doctors.
Early Life of Mary Trye
Not much is known about Mary Trye's early life. She was baptized as Mary Dowde on July 30, 1642. In 1660, she married Edward Stanthwaite, who was a merchant. After he passed away, she married Berkeley Trye in 1670. They had a son named William in 1671.
Her Fight for Medicine
In 1675, Mary Trye published a book called Medicatrix, Or The Woman-Physician. In this book, she defended her father, Thomas O'Dowde. He was also a medical practitioner and sadly died while helping patients during the terrible Great Plague of London. Mary continued her father's medical work after he passed away.
New Ideas in Medicine
In her book, Mary Trye strongly stated her right to write and publish her ideas. She also supported a new way of practicing medicine called iatrochemistry. This approach used chemistry to understand and treat illnesses. It was different from the older "Galenic" method, which was based on ancient ideas about the body's humors. The official medical group at the time, the Royal College of Physicians, mostly supported the older Galenic ideas. Mary Trye's medical thinking was greatly influenced by a famous scientist named Jan Baptist van Helmont.
