Mary Elizabeth McCracken (February 2, 1911 – October 19, 1945) was a medical missionary who was also the first woman to overcome infantile paralysisMcCracken worked alongside her father, athlete and physician Josiah McCracken, to perform surgery on citizens affected by the Sino-Japanese conflict in Shanghai. She also headed the pediatrics department of her father's Refugee Hospital for many years. McCracken was often referred to as the "indomitable Mary" for persevering to the end and not letting her paralysis hinder her service.
Background
Childhood Mary Elizabeth McCracken was born on February 2, 1911, in Canton, China where her parents, Josiah Calvin McCracken and Helen Newpher McCracken,were stationed as medical missionaries. Her parents were known as the "McCrackens of Shanghai". McCracken was the third of eight children. She had five sisters (Helen McCracken Fulcher, Margaret McCracken, Martha Constance McCracken Howard, Elsie McCracken, and Ruth McCracken) and two brothers (Josiah C. McCracken and Stewart McCracken). At the young age of thirteen months, McCracken was affected by infantile paralysis. She could not walk and constantly needed to be carried everywhere. McCracken's mother graduated with a degree in physical education from Columbia University, and she persistently cared for her daughter and sought to make her life as normal as possible. As a child, McCracken enjoyed music and sang with her family. She knew how to play piano, as all the children in her family were taught by their mother. As a child, she enjoyed playing with Kewpie dolls and creating paper doll families with her older sisters. Though she faced many challenges due to her condition, McCracken was always a good sport. In sports events that required physical movement, she could not play with her siblings and instead took on the role of timekeeper.
Education In the fall of 1916, McCracken began school at the Shanghai American School, a private school that was two to three blocks away from the family's residence at 8 Darroch Road in Shanghai. She was pulled everyday to school in a long wagon by her mother. As McCracken had to be carried to class and recess, her mother often had to be present to perform such a duty. After the family moved to the United States in 1920, finding a school for McCracken proved challenging. Only when a druggist from the neighborhood allowed an employee to carry McCracken was she able to finally attend a school. Eventually, in 1924, she went to the Watson Home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for both treatment and schooling. She stayed there until she completed high school. In the fall of 1927, McCracken followed in her older sister Helen's footsteps and attended Lake Erie College. She roomed with Helen the first year and her other sister Margaret for the following two years. Her sisters helped with her wheelchair and carried her during these times. The college faculty was very interested in McCracken and her attitude towards learning. McCracken developed a liking for history, learned how to swim, and joined the archery team during college. After graduating from Lake Erie College, McCracken went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania. She studied biology and received her Master of Arts in Anatomy. As she told her father she was interested in attending medical school, he invited her to study under him in China. She ended up attending Women's Christian Medical College in Shanghai. She did so well in anatomy that the second year she was at the school she taught the subject herself. McCracken later transferred to St. John's University, continuing to teach anatomy. She completed a year of internship at the Refugee Hospital and then received her graduation diploma at the head of her class in 1939.
Treatments McCracken struggled against infantile paralysis all of her life. With a physician as a father and physical therapist as a mother, McCracken was not left alone to tackle this disease. Her entire family including her brothers and sisters took part in helping McCracken move from place to place. During college at Lake Erie College, her older sisters Helen and Margaret carried her throughout the day across campus to her classes. Initially after McCracken was struck with this disease, her mother did her best to treat her but this was not enough. Reaching out to his friend, her father sought out consultation from Dr. Abraham Flexner in 1915. In 1916, McCracken and her father traveled to Boston so she could receive care to straighten her back. In February 1919, McCracken began to go to the Red Cross Hospital in Shanghai to receive electrical treatments three times per week. She had to be brought home early to rest before every treatment, thus, she had to leave school early for each treatment. Though McCracken broke her leg in December 1919, she still persisted in attending school in her cast. In February 1921, the family made the decision to send McCracken to the Watson Home for crippled children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to receive care under Dr. David Silvers. This is where she ended up for her entire high school career. Though the family returned to Shanghai on June 23, 1921, McCracken wasn't able to improve in Shanghai and made the decision to return in the summer of 1923 to the Watson Home. In 1934, McCracken attended medical school and was able to use her own rickshaw and coolie. This allowed for greater independence for her as she went to school and made new friends. Being the “indomitable Mary,” she was an independent person, never letting others perform any task for her if she could do it herself.
Mission Work
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