The Riveting Rosies

Dr. James Barry

Margaret Anne Bulkley was a force to be reckoned with. Born in Cork, Ireland in 1789, Margaret grew up in a successful grocery business owned by her parents. Unfortunately, Margaret’s older brother, John, had other ideas for the family’s wealth. He spent the money lavishly, eventually leading to his imprisonment after bankrupting the family.

After receiving an unexpected inheritance from their late uncle James Barry, a painter and Royal Academician, Margaret and their mother moved to Edinburgh. It was there that Margaret told their brother at the age of 18, “were I not a girl, I would be a soldier!” Little did anyone know at the time just how accurate that statement would turn out to be.

Margaret would later adopt their uncle’s name and use his connections with influential patrons to assist their career. They met two of Uncle James’s friends in earlier years, Venezuelan-exile General Francisco de Miranda and David Steuart Erskine, Earl of Buchan. The men quickly recognized how intelligent Margaret was and likely helped hatch the plan to help them earn an education and pursue a medical degree.

Margaret enrolled at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, where administrators suspected them to be far younger than originally stated because of their small frame and hairless chin. Margaret became an assistant surgeon in the Army, where they served for 12 years in Africa and eventually became the head of all military-related medical affairs. They later traveled to the Mediterranean, West Indies, and Canada.

In order to masquerade their appearance, Margaret used stacked heels and stuffing, but they may have additionally attempted to detract from their feminine characteristics by becoming a pillar of toxic masculinity. Dr. Barry was noted for being bad-tempered and even violent at times, known to yell at patients, argue with superiors (which Corissa wholeheartedly supports), and throw medicine bottles at the wall. They even got into a duel in their younger years, from which both challengers emerged unscathed, but Dr. Barry was known to carry a sword on their person.

Despite a bad temper prone to outbursts, Dr. Barry was a physician for all people, treating rich, poor, white colonists, and slaves alike. They were a staunch advocate for hygienic practices and reform in prisons, asylums, and barracks. Dr. Barry was the first European to perform a successful cesarean section in Africa, meaning that both mother and child survived (meanwhile, this is still a persistent issue in maternal-fetal medicine in the US today).

Dr. Barry created strict rules to ensure humane treatment for inhabitants of a local leper colony. They may have been involved in an affair with Cape Colony governor Lord Charles Somerset. Allegations were printed on a poster, and an investigation was conducted, but to no result. It is likely that Lord Somerset knew Dr. Barry’s real identity, as did a handful of very close confidants.

After a medical career spanning 50 years, Dr. Barry died in 1865 of dysentery. Upon washing of the body, a charwoman noted that they were “a perfect female.” Prior to their death, Dr. Barry had specifically requested that their body remain unexamined after their death and they remain in the clothes they died in for burial. The charwoman also noted stretch marks on Dr. Barry’s abdomen, almost as if they gave birth sometime in their life.

Upon their death and the discovery that Dr. James Barry was born Margaret Bulkley, many colleagues came forward and said they knew their secret the whole time, but this is highly unlikely. There is great speculation and plausible evidence supporting that Dr. Barry may have been born intersex, raised as a woman, and later chose to identify as a man. “Barry’s Edinburgh thesis on femoral hernias (hernias of the thigh)–which can turn out to be testicles–gives weight to this idea” (The Guardian). However, there is also just as much speculation that the intersex/hermaphrodite theory was passed around to avoid acknowledging the significant contributions and academic potentials of women. Regardless of Dr. Barry’s biological sex, it is clear that they lived their life as a man and were able to achieve great success and make significant contributions to the field of medicine.

Dr. Barry’s story also sheds light on the challenges faced by women and other marginalized groups in pursuing careers and achieving recognition for their accomplishments. Despite their remarkable achievements and contributions to the medical field, Dr. Barry faced discrimination and prejudice due to their gender and identity. The fact that their service records were sealed by the British Army for 100 years after their death speaks to the pervasive biases and systemic barriers faced by women and other marginalized groups throughout history.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women and other underrepresented groups in various fields, including science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Dr. Barry’s story serves as an inspiration to many, and their legacy continues to inspire future generations of scientists and medical professionals.

In conclusion, Dr. James Barry, born Margaret Anne Bulkley, was a pioneering physician and military surgeon who made significant contributions to the field of medicine during a career spanning over 50 years. Their story challenges traditional notions of gender and identity and serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by women and other marginalized groups in pursuing careers and achieving recognition for their accomplishments. Despite these challenges, Dr. Barry’s legacy lives on, inspiring future generations of medical professionals and serving as a symbol of resilience, determination, and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

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Dr. Dilhan Eryurt

Dilhan Ezer Eryurt, born in 1926 in Izmir, Turkey, was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to the field of astronomy. Her passion for math and astronomy led her to pursue higher education in Istanbul University, where she graduated with an astronomy degree in 1946. After two years of working as an honorary assistant with Tevfik Okyay Kabakçıoğlu, Dilhan was hired by Ankara University to open their astronomy department.

Despite being an expert mathematician and astronomer, Dilhan had no prior experience with computers, which were emerging as a major tool in research. However, she taught herself how to use computers through reading books, which ultimately enabled her to do her work more efficiently.

Dilhan’s dedication and hard work led her to earn a scholarship from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which allowed her to collaborate with Alastair G. W. Cameron, a Harvard astrophysicist who theorized that the Moon formed due to giant-impact hypothesis. This was a significant opportunity for Dilhan to gain invaluable experience and knowledge from a highly respected expert in the field.

After completing her scholarship in Canada, Dilhan moved to the United States to work for the Soroptimist Federation of America, where she collaborated with Marshall Wrubel at the Goethe Link Observatory. It was at this point in her career that she was hired by NASA and began working at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. She was the only female astronomer at NASA during that time.

Dilhan’s research at NASA focused on the formation and evolution of the sun. Her findings challenged the commonly held belief that the sun was increasing in brightness and warmth since its formation 4.5 billion years ago. She discovered that the sun was, in fact, decreasing in brightness and warmth, which was a groundbreaking discovery that would eventually contribute to the ability to send astronauts to space.

Through her work at NASA, Dilhan also modeled the effects of the sun on the Moon’s environment. Her research was crucial to the success of the Apollo 11 mission that landed on and explored the Moon, and she was awarded the Apollo Achievement Award in 1969 for her contribution. (Check out Ep. 51 & Ep. 52 on the Rosies of Mercury 13, the all-female astronaut group).

After spending several years working at NASA, Dilhan returned to Turkey in 1973 to found the Astrophysics Branch of the Physics Department at Middle East Technical University. Dilhan’s contribution to astronomy in Turkey was immense; she organized the first National Astronomy Congress in Turkey in 1968, with the support of TUBITAK (the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). Dilhan continued her research with NASA until 1973 and then returned to Turkey to establish the Astrophysics Branch of the Physics Department at Middle East Technical University. She was awarded the TUBITAK Science Award in 1977 for her remarkable work.

Dilhan became the Chairperson of the Physics Department in 1988, where she served for six months before becoming the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Literature. She served as Dean for five years and retired in 1993. Dilhan’s remarkable achievements in the field of astronomy earned her the title of the Turkish Mother of Astronomy, and she is remembered as a pivotal figure in encouraging Turkey to establish a national observatory.

In conclusion, Dilhan Eryurt was a trailblazing astronomer and researcher whose contributions to the field of astronomy and space travel were groundbreaking. She overcame significant challenges as a woman in a male-dominated field and was instrumental in enabling the successful moon landing of Apollo 11. Eryurt’s legacy continues to inspire young women to pursue careers in STEM fields, and she is remembered as the Turkish Mother of Astronomy.

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