Sarah Lucretia Robb

Dr. Sarah L. Robb's certification from the Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners dated 1894

While Sarah had earned a degree in Nursing from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, she wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor. Because she was a woman, American medical schools would not accept her and she had to travel to Germany.

The book "Robb & Co.’s Family Physician: A Work on Domestic Medicines, Designed to Show the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Disease" highlighted different ways of treating patients and illnesses, from traditional medicine to more holistic methods.

Sarah had the same medical training as any other male doctor in the area. She used her training to help women in Gainesville with things they might not want to talk to a man about. She would make house calls in her horse and buggy and also see patients in the clinic in her home.

When she went out on house calls, Sarah needed to bring her tools and medicines with her. This is a photograph of one of her medical kits.

To see this kit and the rest of the Robb artifacts, please visit the Robb House Medical Museum. They offer tours by appointment and can be reached at (352) 376-0715.

All images courtesy of the Robb House Medical Museum, Alachua County Medical Society, Gainesville, Florida

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