Brooklyn's first female ambulance surgeon accepted her initial emergency call on January 15, 1908, attending to a patient who had fallen from a window. Mary Merritt Crawford navigated a career defined by breaking institutional barriers, beginning with an internship at Williamsburg Hospital that she secured by outperforming 35 male applicants on an entrance examination.
Medical Education and Early Clinical Work
Born in Manhattan on February 18, 1884, to parents Gilbert and Sarah, Crawford spent her youth in Nyack. She demonstrated early academic prowess, graduating as high school valedictorian in 1899. She proceeded to Cornell University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in 1904 and her medical degree in 1907. Despite professional restrictions preventing women from attending standardized preparatory quiz sessions for internships, she secured a placement at Williamsburg Hospital. Her arrival as an ambulance surgeon necessitated the creation of her own custom uniform. By 1910, she had established a private medical practice in Brooklyn while maintaining her hospital responsibilities.
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In 1914, Crawford traveled to France as part of a six-member team funded by Anna Gould to provide medical field services. Serving for one year at the American Ambulance Hospital at Neuilly-sur-Seine, she operated as one of only 55 female surgeons employed by the U.S. Army during the conflict. Although she acted as an anesthesiologist and house surgeon—supervising dental wards and assisting in facial reconstruction—she was classified as a civilian consultant and denied formal military rank. Upon her return, she focused on fundraising for French medical facilities and assumed a leadership role within the American Women's Hospitals Service, which she co-founded alongside Rosalie Slaughter Morton.
Institutional Leadership and Later Career
Crawford's administrative influence expanded significantly following her war service. In June 1918, she was appointed chairman of the Medical Women's National Association. She eventually transitioned into corporate medicine, establishing the medical department at the Federal Reserve Bank and serving as its director until her retirement in 1949. Her influence extended to academic governance when she was elected to the Cornell University Board of Trustees in 1927, securing 7,449 votes. By 1929, she oversaw the health service for the American Woman's Association at their clubhouse. She married Edward Schuster and had one daughter, Mary, before her death at Midtown Hospital on November 25, 1972.
Fast facts
- Born: February 18, 1884, Manhattan
- Died: November 25, 1972, Manhattan
- Education: Cornell University, 1904 and 1907
- First ambulance call: January 15, 1908
- War service: American Ambulance Hospital, Neuilly-sur-Seine
- Retirement: 1949, aged 65
- Burial site: Woodlawn Cemetery
Questions readers ask
How did Crawford secure her internship at Williamsburg Hospital?
She applied after an oversight in the advertisement failed to specify that the position was intended only for male applicants; she subsequently earned the highest score among 35 candidates.
What medical roles did she perform in France during World War I?
She served as an anesthesiologist and house surgeon, supervised several wards, oversaw a dental ward, and provided assistance with facial reconstruction surgery.
