James Barry (surgeon)

Not to be confused with James Berry (surgeon).

James Barry
Portrait claimed to be of Barry, c. 1820s
Born
Margaret Anne Bulkley

c. 1789[a]
Cork, Kingdom of Ireland
Died25 July 1865(1865-07-25) (aged 75–76)
London, England
Other namesJames Miranda Steuart Barry[b]
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh Medical School
OccupationSurgeon
RelativesJames Barry (uncle)

James Barry (born Margaret Anne Bulkley, or Bulkeley;[7][8] c. 1789[a] – 25 July 1865) was a military surgeon in the British Army. Originally from the city of Cork in Ireland, Barry obtained a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh Medical School, then served first in Cape Town, South Africa, and subsequently in many parts of the British Empire. Before retirement, Barry had risen to the rank of Inspector General (equivalent to Brigadier) in charge of military hospitals, the second-highest medical office in the British Army. Barry not only improved conditions for wounded soldiers, but also the conditions of the native inhabitants, and performed the first recorded caesarean section by a European in Africa in which both the mother and child survived the operation.[9]

Although Barry's entire adult life was lived as a man, Barry was named Margaret Anne at birth and was known as female in childhood.[10] Barry lived as a man in both public and private life, at least in part in order to be accepted as a university student, and to pursue a career as a surgeon. Barry's anatomy became known to the public and to military colleagues only after a post-mortem examination.[9]

  1. ^ Kubba & Young 2001, pp. 352–356.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference leitch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference canada was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ondb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ du Preez 2008.
  6. ^ Obermayer, D. (6 June 2019). "Who was "James Miranda Steuart Barry"?". Notes on a Gentleman. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  7. ^ Rae, Isobel (1958). The Strange Story of Dr James Barry (1st ed.). Great Britain: Longmans, Green and Co Ltd. p. 5.
  8. ^ Preez, Du; Michael, Hercules (January 2008). "Dr James Barry: The early years revealed". SAMJ: South African Medical Journal. 98 (1): 52–58. ISSN 0256-9574. PMID 18270643.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference New Scientist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBCNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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