Gendered Identity and Spaces of Medical Work: Doctor Ruth A. Parmelee in Ottoman Harpoot During the Great War Era

Abstract: This article examines the life and work of Dr. Ruth A. Parmelee, an American missionary obstetrician and gynecologist who was stationed in Ottoman Harpoot during the Great War era. Initially responsible for the child and maternal care of Ottoman women, both Christian and Muslim, Parmelee also treated men due to the unexpected demands of warfare. Once the Armenian Genocide began, she transitioned from reproductive to emergency medicine for surviving Armenians. The article analyzes Dr. Parmelee’s daily activities, demonstrating how she negotiated her personal and professional gendered identity against the expectations of her family, American medical schools, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and Ottoman institutions. By tracing her movements between the various spaces she inhabited, from the mission buildings and hospital to private residences and the refugee camp, this article demonstrates how medical work served as a means of both segregation and inclusion.