Anesthesiologist and instructor Isabella C. Herb was born in Clyman, Wisc., 5 November 1869, and obtained her medical degree from Woman's Medical College of Northwestern University in 1892. After interning at Mary Thompson Hospital for Women and Children in Chicago she went on to Augustana Hospital to practice as an anesthetist and pathologist in 1897. There she worked with Lawrence Prince, assisting in the development of open drop ether and chloroform anesthesia. After working at the Mayo Clinic from 1899 to 1905, she returned to Chicago with a fellowship in pathology at Rush Medical College to work with microbiologist Ludvig Hektoen. In 1909, she was appointed head of the department of anesthesia at Presbyterian Hospital, as the first woman on staff. She went on to make noteworthy contributions in the field both as an instructor and innovator in methods and equipment design. Herb died in 1943, after retiring in 1941. The papers of Isabella C. Herb hold biographical material related to Herb, such as obituaries and photocopied articles about Herb; Herb's writings in the fields of pathology and anesthesia, 1898-1933; and research notes concerning operations performed under ethylene.
From the description of Isabella C. Herb Papers, 1898-1933. (Rush University Medical Center). WorldCat record id: 743130424
