Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan 

First female doctor at the Melbourne Free Hospital for Sick Children now the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“[Ethel’s] professional abilities were very much beyond the average, and the diligence she then showed augurs well for her success in her profession. In addition she is kindly, cheery, and sympathetic, and is certain to be a great favourite with all those with whom she comes in contact.”

– G. T. Howard, B.A., B.S., M.D., Senior Out-patient Physician, Melbourne Hospital. Testimony written December 13, 1897, in support of her employment applications.[1]

Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan was born in Ballarat in 1868. [2]After training as a nurse at Ballarat Hospital, she went on to study medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Six years after the first woman in Australia finished a medical degree, Ethel graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine as one of two women in her class in 1897. Following this, Ethel completed further study to acquire a Bachelor of Surgery and qualify as a fully trained doctor. [3]

However, despite her strong academic record and professional references, Ethel struggled to secure hospital employment. Her application to return to Ballarat Hospital was unsuccessful. She also applied for a position at the Women’s Hospital, where her testimonials were described as outstanding, yet she was passed over in favour of male applicants. [4]

In 1898, Ethel was offered a one-month trial in the outpatient department at the Melbourne Free Hospital for Sick Children, without pay. In this trial, she performed her role to “entire satisfaction,” and was particularly praised for her “gentle kind manner to the little patients.” [5]Ethel was subsequently appointed to an 18-month residency, defeating four male candidates for the role. With this appointment, Ethel became the first woman to hold a resident doctor position at the Children’s Hospital and one of the first in Victoria. [6]

Senior staff spoke highly of her abilities. Sir Charles Ryan, a member of the honorary medical staff, formally praised her competence and recommended her for future appointments. [7] Her success helped establish the importance of women doctors in Australian hospitals and opened the way for later practitioners such as Dr Constance Ellis. [8]

After completing her residency, Ethel resigned and travelled to England as the ship’s doctor aboard the steamer Yarrawonga. At the time, this was an exceptionally rare role for a woman doctor from Australia. No other woman from Melbourne would serve as a ship’s medical officer for another 27 years. [9]

Ethel returned to Melbourne in 1902 and was appointed honorary physician to the outpatient department at the Queen Victoria Hospital. She resigned from this position later that year. [10]

In 1904, she married William Stanley John Eaves and later had two children. [11] Despite having practiced medicine for less than a decade, she did not continue to work as a doctor once married, a decision not uncommon for women facing a choice of ‘career’ of ‘family’. [12]

Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan died July 22nd, 1943, at her family home on Orrong Rd in Toorak, as a widow, and beloved mother and sister.[13] Her legacy as the first female doctor at the Children’s Hospital continues to be recognised. In 2024, Cowan Lane in Carlton was officially named in her honour, near the site where she made medical history. [14]

Acknowledgement

This Biography was written by Her Place Women’s Museum using the below resources.

Image:Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan

Commemoration 

In 2023 Melbourne City Council proposed to rename Corporation Lane CL520 after Dr Ethel Mary Vaughan Cowan. The naming was finalised in 2024/2025. GNV approved the name and Cowan Lane was published in the Victoria Government Gazette on 8 February 2024.