A Conversation for Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Peer Review: A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 1

SashaQ - happysad

Entry: Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon - A87849490
Author: SashaQ - eccentric editor - U9936370

I read about Dr Barry in The Times last month, as this year is 150 years since his death. Intrigued, I decided to find out more about him and write an Entry smiley - ok


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 2

Lanzababy - Guide Editor

Another intriguing Entry, Sasha. I found it very interesting.

The only observation I'd make, is that the paragraph where you describe the advent of James Barry/aka Bulkley I had to read twice, in order to grasp that s/he took on her uncle's name. Perhaps you could tweak it slightly for the less quick folk like me, to make it easier to follow?smiley - smiley


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 3

bobstafford

Good entry well overdue well done smiley - cheers


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 4

Bluebottle

Great entry, well donesmiley - smiley.

Can't say I blame him for going back to England for a haircut – the pudding bowl look doesn't really suit anyone. Did you know that following the Crimean War and until 1916, army regulations stated that in the British Army, you had to grow a moustache (beards were forbidden except on religious grounds)? (Completely pointless fact of the day)

I love the sentence 'the servant of the house where he lodged discovered his female anatomy' – almost as if she found that missing library book or his keys down the back of the chaise longue. Do we know what Sophia was doing examining his body so closely, for instance tidying and dressing it in its finest to be presentable for an open-coffin funeral service?

The following sentence I found a little bit long:
'There is some evidence to suggest that a woman who was not transgender, so identified with the prevailing definition of what a woman was and was comfortable with having a female body, would not have been able to live as a man for so many years without ill effect (the John/Joan case, where a boy was brought up as a girl following damage to his male anatomy, demonstrated that he knew he was a boy all along, and in the book Self-Made Man, author Norah Vincent was glad to return to being a masculine woman after spending just a year living as a man, as it affected her mental health badly).'

The bit in brackets I thought should probably be split into two sentences, and possibly consider rewording them to make them tie in more directly to Dr James as I'm afraid I found them a little unclear.
You mention 'the John/Joan case' – when was this? Did it take place during Barry's lifetime? It isn't something I know anything about and as you don't really elaborate on the details, my first thought was to the legend of the fictional mediæval Pope John who was supposedly a woman called Joan and only discovered when he was pregnant, but you don't seem to be discussing that. Similarly, when was 'Self-Made Man' published?

Other than that minor query, another well-written entry.smiley - smiley

<BB<


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 5

minorvogonpoet

This is an intriguing story. smiley - smiley

It certainly must have taken courage and determination for a woman to pass herself off as a man and work as a doctor at this time. It's interesting that her mother went along with her transformation into a boy. We shall never know why.

I agree with Bluebottle that the passage beginning "There is some evidence that.." needs some teasing out.


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 6

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks everyone smiley - biggrin

Good points all smiley - ok

I have made tweaks accordingly, and hope that is better now. I also added a few more links while I was editing.



"I love the sentence 'the servant of the house where he lodged discovered his female anatomy' – almost as if she found that missing library book or his keys down the back of the chaise longue."

smiley - laugh Fascinating concept...

A: Where's your anatomy?
B: I left it at home...


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 7

minorvogonpoet

This is better. smiley - ok

I was also a bit confused by the sentence beginning 'Mary Anne's brother's friends.' Were three people involved? If so, perhaps you could spell this out.


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 8

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks mvp - I tweaked it again to make it clearer, hopefully.

smiley - biggrin


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 9

minorvogonpoet

smiley - ok


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 10

Bluebottle

That's much clearersmiley - biggrin
(I'm happy to accept that a non-transgender woman would not be able to live as a man for many years without ill effect, but can't help but wonder whether James' frequent habit of going AWOL was a symptom of this? Or were the disappearances timed around the alleged pregnancy/pregnancies? I suppose we'll never know.)
You've written an article that makes me want to know more, well done!

<BB<


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 11

SashaQ - happysad

Yes, I must admit I was thinking overnight that perhaps James had a different way of managing the stress of being a man if he actually wasn't a man, so I'll add something in about that later smiley - ok


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 12

SashaQ - happysad

Updated smiley - tea


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 13

Elektragheorgheni -Please read 'The Post'

Great entry SashaQ. Informative and interesting and refreshingly concise!smiley - applause


A87849490 - Margaret Bulkley aka Dr James Barry - Pioneering Surgeon

Post 14

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks for reading Elektra smiley - biggrin Glad you enjoyed it smiley - ok


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 15

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Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 16

minorvogonpoet

Well done, SashaQ! smiley - applause


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 17

Bluebottle

smiley - doctorsmiley - doctor, your article's been recommended!

<BB<


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 18

Elektragheorgheni -Please read 'The Post'

smiley - bubbly Congrats on an interesting entry, SashaQ.


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 19

SashaQ - happysad

Thanks everyone smiley - biggrinsmiley - seniorsmiley - doctor


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 20

bobstafford

smiley - bubblysmiley - alesmiley - cheerssmiley - smiley


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