Eleanor Beatrice Schill, also known as Mrs. Sykes, went down in history as one of the first female doctors in England. Schill dedicated her life to helping other people who were less fortunate in life than she was. Eleanor worked in medical institutions and poor residential areas of Manchester.
Schill lived a long life and died at the age of 101. The doctor left a bright mark in the medical history of her native Manchester, notes imanchester.info.
Early years and study
The future doctor was born in Manchester on March 19, 1904. Her parents were Paul and Beatrice Schill. Eleanor’s family was wealthy and lived in Withington Hall, one of the most prestigious houses in Manchester. Her father was a merchant and her mother came from a family of well-known doctors. So, Eleonor’s love for medicine was inborn.
Eleonor Schill’s parents gave their daughter a decent education. First, she attended Bedales School. After that, she enrolled at the famous Victoria University of Manchester to study medicine. After graduation, Schill became a general practitioner. In 1937, Schill received a diploma in Psychological Medicine at the same university.
Medical practice and philanthropy
Eleanor Schill is known, first of all, as one of the first female doctors in England. She worked both as a general practitioner and a psychiatrist.
After graduation, she started to work at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Later, Eleonor worked in the counties of Cheshire and Derbyshire. Schill also was a school doctor at Manchester High School for Girls and an assistant psychiatrist at Withington Hospital in South Manchester. In the latter institution, Schill worked part-time.
After the Second World War, Eleanor Schill was listed as a Medical Officer in the Department of Education at the University of Manchester.
It is worth noting that Eleonor Schill was actively engaged in social and charitable activities. She inherited this from her parents, who were well-known philanthropists in the city. However, the fortune of Eleonor’s father significantly decreased in the years of the Great Depression.
After completing her studies at the university, the young doctor joined the committee that helped single mothers. Since then, Schill began active service to the poor and dispossessed. The doctor provided free assistance to the residents of poor neighbourhoods of her hometown.
After the death of her father, Schill headed the Ardwick Lads’ Club, which firstly promoted sports and cultural education of boys, and later, involved children of both sexes. The club was founded in 1889 by local businessmen-philanthropists and Eleanor Schill’s father was one of them. Ardwick Lads’ Club brought up outcast boys and got them interested in sports, thus, rescuing them from the harmful effects of a vagrant lifestyle. Schill also served on the board of the Norbrook Youth Club.
There is one more interesting fact in the biography of this Manchester doctor. Eleanor was a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council. It was founded in 1938 after the priest Herbert Gray became concerned about the rapidly increasing number of divorces in the country. Eleanor Schill was the vice-chair of the council until 1970.
The doctor was also a member of the board that considered the issue of early release of prisoners from Styal Women’s Prison.
In 1995, Eleanor was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her good deeds. Her son, Martin Sykes, once said that his mother inspired many to follow her philanthropic and social work path.
Personal life
Eleanor Schill was married to Bill Sykes, an anesthesiologist. They met at the Victoria University of Manchester.
Interestingly, Schill decided to practise under her maiden name after her marriage. That is why she was known in medical circles as Eleonor Schill. In marriage with Bill Sykes, Schill gave birth to five children.
A prominent doctor from Manchester died on December 26, 2005. She had a long life of 101 years.