18 Facts About Frances McConnell-Mills

Frances Mary McConnell-Mills was an American toxicologist.

Frances McConnell-Mills was the first woman to be appointed Denver's city toxicologist, the first female toxicologist in the Rocky Mountains, and probably the first female forensic pathologist in the United States.

Frances McConnell-Mills later attended medical school at the University of Colorado Denver, graduating in 1925.

Frances McConnell-Mills specialized in the fields of toxicology and forensic pathology, which led her to testify in many high-profile criminal cases throughout her career.

Frances McConnell-Mills was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.

Frances McConnell-Mills's father was a physician and a pharmacist, and often took Frances with him when he made house calls to patients.

Frances McConnell-Mills was sent to live with her aunt and grandfather so that she could attend Colorado Springs High School; she graduated at the age of 15 and was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Denver.

Frances McConnell-Mills received a bachelor's degree from the university in 1918, aged 17, and graduated again with a master's degree in chemistry when she was 19, making her the university's youngest graduate with a master's degree at the time.

Frances McConnell-Mills therefore supported herself through medical school by working as a musician in local bars and theaters, as a tutor, and as a laboratory assistant.

Frances McConnell-Mills subsequently took on a position as a toxicologist in the coroner's offices at the same hospital, making her the first female toxicologist in the Rocky Mountains area.

Frances McConnell-Mills was appointed Denver's city toxicologist in 1926 and became an assistant pathologist in 1927, working alongside deputy coroner George Bostwick and city pathologist W S Dennis.

Frances McConnell-Mills enrolled in an advanced serology training program at the University of Michigan in 1941 and went on to study surgical pathology at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago in 1943.

Frances McConnell-Mills was forced to leave St Luke's in 1944 due to illness, and after recovering she returned to Denver General Hospital as its laboratory director.

Frances McConnell-Mills continued to work on criminal cases between other jobs until 1948.

Frances McConnell-Mills was given a prosthetic leg which she named "Matilda" but later needed to use a wheelchair.

Frances McConnell-Mills kept working until the last two weeks of her life, filling various roles on the Board of Basic Sciences, in an allergy practice, and as a consultant for the Denver Poison Center.

Frances McConnell-Mills died in December 1975 in St Luke's Hospital, Denver, at the age of 75.

Frances McConnell-Mills was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.