Dr. James Barry was born in 1789 in County Cork, Ireland (and we're not using his birth name cause we don't use deadnames on this blog.) He had an incredible thirst for knowledge and as a young child often remarked that if wasn't born a girl that he could be a soldier.
The young Dr.Barry and his mother moved to London where Dr. Barry met his uncle, James Barry. (This might get confusing. The first James Barry, the uncle, will be referred to as Barry the OG. The second Dr. Barry, the one that this post is about, will be referred to as Dr. Barry the New and Improved. Don't worry I won't be using these weird names for the whole post.)
So Dr. Barry the New and Improved met Barry the OG who was a very well educated man with some fascinating friends. Among Barry the OG's friends were General Francisco de Miranda, who was exiled from Venezuela and David Steuart Erskine, who was the Earl of Buchan. Barry the OG and his friends were quite taken back how intelligent Dr. Barry the New and Improved was and encouraged him to pursue medicine. Barry the OG died in 1806 leaving behind plenty of money for Dr. Barry the New and Improved and perfectly good name that Dr. Barry the New and Improved took. (And now I no longer have to use those weird monikers.)
By 1809 Dr. James Barry was fully seen as a man and had moved to Edinburgh to attend medical school. At medical school most people actually suspected that Dr. Barry was too young to go to medical school because of his high pitched voice. Because everyone thought he was so young was he was initially not allowed to sit in for examinations until Lord Erskine stepped in and said it was okay. Dr. Barry received a degree at the age of twenty two and enlisted in the army to become an assistant surgeon.
Dr. Barry was stationed in Cape Town, South Africa for ten years where he met Lord Charles Somerset. It is widely believed that Somerset knew that Dr. Barry was transgender. The pair moved into a private apartment together and a bunch of rumors spread about their relationship to the point that it had to be investigated but nothing ever came of the investigation.
Dr. Barry was a remarkable surgeon and performed the first cesarean section in Africa in which both mother and baby survived. While he was in Cape Town he made sure they had a better water system and quite controversially he gave medical treatment to slaves. He also spoke out about sanitary conditions and the mismanagement of prisons, barracks, and asylums.
Dr. Barry died from dysentery on July 25, 1865. He requested to be buried in the clothes he died in and his body unwashed, spoiler alert they didn't do that. When preparing Dr. Barry for burial the nurse discovered that he was born female and had stretch marks from pregnancy. It is believed that Dr. Barry gave birth to a daughter as a teenager after being raped by a different uncle.
Dr. Barry's gender became public knowledge after his death and became a mystery to the Victorian people. Dr. Barry was buried in Kensal Green cemetery and is remembered as a remarkable transgender man who excelled as a doctor and worked to make the medical world more equal.
Holland, Brynn. “The Extraordinary Secret Life of Dr. James Barry.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Mar. 2017, www.history.com/news/the-extraordinary-secret-life-of-dr-james-barry.
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