Orkney Women Doctors Project (1894 to 1948)

Injured Woman’s Terrible Flight. Marooned and helpless on Papa Westray. Rowing Boat’s Hazardous Voyage. On 25 November 1931, Dr Jean Cursiter left Papa Westray to accompany a seriously injured patient on a hazardous and extraordinary journey to hospital in Kirkwall.[1] She left behind her husband Ian and 8 month old son, Jack. It's unlikely she would return for some days given the stormy weather. Jessie Groat's hand had been caught in a threshing machine, and although the machine was stopped immediately, the limb was crushed and lacerated to the elbow. Her husband, farmer Thomas Groat, of Howe summoned Dr Cursiter who attended to the injury but realised the case was so serious it needed an immediate operation if Mrs Groat was to survive. Papa Westray was completely cut off from any help or rescue. The island had no telegraph or telephone communication to summon help from Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland.   The sea was rough and dangerous for a small boat to cross. The Orkney...

 An earlier post detailed the challenges that the island of Papa Westray (known locally as Papay) had experienced since 1896 in trying to get a local Resident Medical Officer. Prior to that the doctor from Westray had to be rowed over.  Once Papay had secured funding for a resident doctor they found it was very hard to recruit them, and they often didn’t stay.  Many were young women doctors, newly qualified in Glasgow and Edinburgh and found the lack of transport and housing made it intolerable for them to remain on the island.  Link to earlier post One woman doctor was the exception to this.  She arrived in 1926 and stayed until 1945. Dr Jean McPhail had previous experience of Orkney and islands and this likely informed her decision to apply for the job on Papay.   Also by this time a house for the doctor had been built, complete with surgery. Island life clearly suited her as she became fully involved in the community, married a local man and ...