Review of Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy

[Cynthia Christabel Okolobi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy" by Mary Farrell.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy is a memoir written by Mary Farrell and Marta M. Mobley on behalf of Mary McMillan. This memoir gives an account of the life of Mary McMillan and her historical contribution to physiotherapy in England, the United States, China, and the Philippines during the first and second world wars.

Mary Jeannie Livingston McMillan was born to her Scottish parents, Archibald McMillan and Catherine McMillan, on November 28, 1880. She had many siblings, and they all lived together in Boston, Massachusetts, until the demise of their dear mother. After the death of her mother, she relocated to Liverpool, England, to live with her aunt, and that was where she grew up and received a formal education. In 1900, she joined the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in Great Britain. From then on, her dream of being a physiotherapist started becoming a reality. With the passion to take care of people, Mary studied hard to gain professional education in neuroanatomy, neurology, and psychology at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. She also did massage and nerve work for one year, from 1909 to 1910. Besides massage and electrotherapy in London at St. Thomas Hospital and fracture classes at London’s St. George’s Hospital, she also studied and learned physical therapy at the Lambeth Infirmary, massage, and medical gymnastics, and took her examinations and certificates from London University for anatomy, physiology, medical gymnastics, and electrotherapy.

The start of the First World War tested her skills as a physiotherapist. In 1914, thousands of wounded Belgian soldiers were brought to London and Liverpool hospitals. Mary signed up for the British army but was rejected; she then volunteered her massage services to wounded soldiers. From then on, she moved up the ranks and extended her work in the United States, China, Manila, and Shanghai. When in China, one thing led to another, and she ended up in an internment camp, first in the Philippines, then in Shanghai. She survived the hardships and returned home before the war ended. Grab a copy of Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy to follow up on Mary's story of selflessness, service to humanity, and survival.

This was one good book, I must confess. The author intricately describes Mary's life, using Mary as the story's narrator. The story gave us a detailed summary of her background, her early life, family history, medical achievements, and, most sympathetically, her experiences in the internment camps. I was drawn into these real-life events, told in the pages of this book. I enjoyed the author's vivid descriptions of Mary's experiences in China and Japan before the war; it felt like Mary was the one describing it herself. It is amazing to know that the story was taken from Mary's many letters home to her family and her diaries and writings during her world travel and when she was in the internment camps. The author's style of writing was enjoyable and easy to understand. I admire Mary's grit and resilience during those hard years in the camps.

The only thing I found a bit disappointing was the photo memorabilia. The links that were provided were just links; no photos were uploaded. It was a bit disheartening because I was really looking forward to seeing the story come to life with the pictures that were promised. Besides this, there was nothing else to dislike about this book. It was professionally edited, and the writing was descriptive.

This book gets a rating of 5 out of 5 stars from me because the story was well told, Mary's good and bad experiences were described in detail, and nothing was left out.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves memoirs about historical figures. Mary was not just a physiotherapist; she was a humanitarian. Also, anyone who would love to take a sneak peek into the lives of prisoners in internment camps during the Second World War should read this book. The stories of the war and survival were exquisitely told.

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Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy
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[B0B]

This book was great for reading I really enjoyed it and it was very interesting to read. I would offer this book to people who might need physical therapy or like a good read.

[Proof Readar]

This memoire sounds interesting, reading the life of Mary Jeannie. The book seems to give lots of information.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

Your review is superb! And wow, being in the Philippines included in the topic of the book gives me eagerness to dive into this book. I wonder how Mary's experiences in an internment camp in PH and other countries were mentioned. She is very compassionate and shows how good a servant she was.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

Besides, I never expect this would be the content of the book by its title. It struck me by surprise.

[Ogidor Chinasa]

I enjoyed this review and from the look of it, Mary is like a role model and there are so many things to learn from her story. I look forward to reading this book.

[John Kingsley Ken]

This is a well-detailed memoir of Mary Jeannie's inspiring life experiences. There are much lessons to be learnt, but I think it's a go for me. Nice review

[Favour Alade Boluwatife]

This review is well detailed and i love that about it. I’ll check this book out. Thanks for the amazing review

[Reader_noc]

Your review captures how detailed and elaborate the book is. Mary's contribution to physiotherapy is admirable and inspirational. Nice one.

[Chimdik Chimezi]

I love reading memoir because they have valuable and real life lessons. I would read "Mary McMillan: The Mother of Physical Therapy" by Mary Farrell to learn about the life lessons in it.

[ELI MESHACK]

The story of Mary is so interesting and inspiring. I haven't read this book yet, but the review caught my attention towards the book. I'm adding this to my shelf. Great review, welldone

[Kizito Shelby]

Physiotherapy is a whole world in medicine that people don't seem to know about the advantages of this wonder. This book would help you see that well.

[Cynthia Christabel Okolobi]

Besides, I never expect this would be the content of the book by its title. It struck me by surprise.

Yeah alot of things were mentioned in the book. From her early childhood, to her education, medical achievements, travels around the world and the times she spent in the internment camps. One thing I observed was that they never mentioned her being married.

[Friederic Schröder]

Mary McMillan had an adventurous life, her willpower has been tested over the ages. She was able to gain an education when gender equality was neglected in society, this is an interesting memoir novel, and I would love to know what she experience in her journey as a volunteer soldier in the First World War.

[Stevenmusk]

Your review has provided me with valuable information and insight about the book. I appreciate the way you have presented your thoughts and opinions on the book in a clear and concise manner, allowing me to form my own opinion about whether or not to read it. Your review has helped me to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the book, and has given me a better idea of what to expect. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, and for helping me make an informed decision about what to read next.