DR. LILLIAN SOUTH 1879-1966
Dr. South earned her medical degree in Philadelphia and later studied at Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, the Pasteur Lab in Paris, and the Madame Curie Radium Institute. She returned to Kentucky and in 1906, and with the help of her medical partners, established a health care facility with 42 beds in her home, named St. Joseph's Hospital. In 1910, Dr. South was appointed Director of Bacteriology for Kentucky where she spearheaded a public campaign to reduce leprosy and rabies and was credited for virtually eradicating the once widely prevalent hookworm disease from the state.
She lobbied the Kentucky State Legislature to ban the use of the public drinking cup and was responsible for over 12 million doses of typhoid vaccine being given during her career, which saved countless lives during the Great Flood of 1937. Her work brought her national prominence. In 1922, South established the first lab technician training program in the United States; the graduates finding employment in medical laboratories around the world. She was the first woman to hold the position of vice president of the A.M.A.
She lobbied the Kentucky State Legislature to ban the use of the public drinking cup and was responsible for over 12 million doses of typhoid vaccine being given during her career, which saved countless lives during the Great Flood of 1937. Her work brought her national prominence. In 1922, South established the first lab technician training program in the United States; the graduates finding employment in medical laboratories around the world. She was the first woman to hold the position of vice president of the A.M.A.