Helen McMillan

Helen was a surgeon and medical missionary whose work in India combined clinical care, education, and service during the early twentieth century.

She graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1907 after studying at Elsie Inglis’ Medical College for Women, and later became the first Scottish woman to gain Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1921. 

Helen spent most of her career in Ajmer, where she helped establish and develop the Women’s Mission Hospital, providing care in a resource-limited setting. She carried out a wide range of procedures, including complex surgeries, and was also involved in childbirth, vaccination programmes, and training local women in nursing. Her letters describe both the technical challenges of her work and her concern for patients. 

During the First World War, she worked in Bombay, and later became Professor of Surgery in Delhi before returning to Ajmer. After retiring from overseas service, she worked as a GP in England. 

Her writings now provide valuable insight into the experiences of early female surgeons and the wider context of medical missionary work.