25 Facts About Margaret Cleaves

Margaret Cleaves lectured and had clinical practice in London, Paris, Leipzig, Berlin and New York.

From 1873 to 1876, Margaret Cleaves worked as an assistant physician at the State Hospital for the Insane, Mt.

Margaret Cleaves was the first woman physician to regularly treat mental illness at that institution, and subsequently served as a member of the board of trustees.

From 1880 to 1883, Margaret Cleaves was physician-in-chief of the Women's Department, State Hospital for the Insane in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Margaret Cleaves was a prolific author on topics concerning the use of radiation and electricity to treat illnesses.

Margaret Abigail Cleaves was born in Columbus City, Iowa, November 25,1848.

Margaret Cleaves's father was of Dutch and English descent, and her mother of Scotch and Irish ancestry, but both had been born in the United States.

Margaret Cleaves' father, Dr John Trow Margaret Cleaves, was born in Yarmouth, Maine, in 1813, and her mother, Elizabeth Stronach, in Baltimore, in 1820.

In 1843, they were married in Columbus City, where Dr John Margaret Cleaves practiced medicine until his death in October 1863.

Margaret Cleaves had been twice elected to the Iowa State Legislature, first in 1852, and again in 1861.

Margaret Cleaves inherited her father's taste for the medical profession, and as a child, sometimes accompanied him on patient visits.

Margaret Cleaves was educated at public schools and eventually enrolled in the University of Iowa, but was unable to complete her undergraduate degree due to financial difficulty.

In 1870, Margaret Cleaves began to study medicine and enrolled in Medical Department of the University of Iowa against her family's wishes.

Margaret Cleaves graduated on March 5,1873, at the head of the class.

Shortly after graduating, Margaret Cleaves was appointed second assistant physician in the State Hospital for the Insane in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Margaret Cleaves remained in the asylum for three years and then resigned her position to commence private practice in Davenport, Margaret Cleaves was appointed one of the trustees of the asylum.

Margaret Cleaves joined the State Medical Society, where she was again the second woman to gain admission.

Margaret Cleaves was the first woman to become a member of the Iowa and Illinois Central District Medical Association.

Margaret Cleaves reported for the State to the conference, and her report was incorporated in the Governor's annual message.

Margaret Cleaves went abroad in 1883, remaining nearly two years, visiting insane hospitals in Scotland, England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium, everywhere receiving courtesies from men of recognized eminence in the treatment of insanity.

Margaret Cleaves witnessed operations in general hospitals in England, France, and Germany, and in Paris, she was for several months a regular attendant at lectures and clinics.

Margaret Cleaves introduced a technique that has saved the lives of millions of women with cancer.

Margaret Cleaves took a deep interest in all that pertained to the welfare and advancement of women.

Margaret Cleaves organized the Des Moines Women's Club and was its first president.

Margaret Cleaves died in a hospital in Mobile, Alabama, November 7,1917.