Narratives of Class, Gender and Medicine in the American South: The Dr. Annie Alexander Story

Abstract

Dr. Annie Alexander (1864-1929) of Charlotte, North Carolina, was an early general practitioner specializing in the diseases of women and children in the U.S. South. Her life and career were marked by a sense of duty to her community, as an elite southern white woman and physician. The interplay of gender, class, race, and profession can be traced through Alexander’s extensive unpublished essays, medical case records, correspondence and personal papers, and the published reactions of her (largely male) contemporaries. This study seeks to answer the questions: why did an elite southern woman follow a career path selected by few of her peer group, and with what consequences for her and her community?