DR. SUSAN T. DIMOCK
DR. SUSAN T. DIMOCK

One of the most successful women surgeons in the land, Dr. SUSAN T. DIMOCK, after thorough preparation here and in European hospitals, was drowned in the steamship " Schiller " on her way to England. She studied in Zurich ; and her graduating thesis was considered a careful and scientific analysis of a difficult subject. It was published in German with this title : "Uber die Verschiedenen Formen des Puerperal Fieber. Inaugural Dissertation by Susan T. Dimock, aus Boston." (1 On the Different Forms of Puerperal Fever.)

The remains of Dr. Dimock were recovered from the wreck of the " Schiller; "and her funeral took place June 4, 1875, from the Church of the Disciples, Boston; the pastor, Rev. Dr. J. Freeman Clarke, officiating. Eight eminent male physicians of Boston were the pall-bearers.

"Dr. Clarke recalled with marked eloquence and tenderness the salient traits of Dr. Dimock's character, her gentleness and strength, her sweetness and cheerfulness. He also read extracts from a letter, narrating a few incidents of the wreck immediately connected with the death of Miss Dimock. " When last seen," the letter said, "she was kneeling on the deck, praying aloud; and, as she knelt, a sea broke over the vessel, and swept her with a group near her out of human sight or aid When she was taken from the water, her face wore a peaceful, even a happy expression. The inhabitants of the island were touched by its sweet repose ; and the body was presently strewn with flowers by compassionate men and women. Even the fishermen who bore the body to the steamer which brought her home felt the same influence; one of them saying, as they left the bier, ' We laid her down as softly as ever her own mother did.' " A free bed at the hospital in Boston, where she was the honored and beloved physician, is established as a memorial.


Source: Daughters of America or Women of the Century by Phebe A. Hanaford Published by True and Company, Augusta, Maine, 1883.

Submitted by Deborah Crowell