Mary+Bruins+Allison

Dr. Mary Bruins Allison, M.D. (March 19, 1903 - September 15, 1994) was one of the first American women to be trained in medicine in the United States who chose to use her skills as a missionary doctor in Arabia. As the daughter of a minister, her understanding of religion, passion for medicine and desire to be a medical missionary in Arabia grew with her from early childhood. She went to college in the small town of Pella and then attended medical college in Philadelphia whilst learning Arabic during her free time. In 1934, after a few internships at various American hospitals after graduating from medical school, she went to the Middle East to use her medical skills as a missionary doctor. In her forty year career, she worked primarily in Kuwait, as well as India, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. In her capacity in Kuwait, she treated different types of women, from the poor marginalized Iranian women to the wives of the various royal families in the region. Despite limited trained medical staff, medical resources and cultural, lingual and religious barriers, Dr. Mary attended to over two hundred patients a day. Her commitment was unwavering, to the extent that she sought additional training during her brief leaves. During her time in the Arab world, she contributed greatly to establishing modern medical care in the countries she worked in;[1] she was asked several times by the rulers of Bahrain and Oman to help set up hospitals in their countries. She eventually returned to the United States in 1975.