Dr Catherine Louisa Corbett MB ChB DPH (1877–1960), Diary in Serbia. Her work with the Scottish Women's Hospitals in Serbia and Russia, 1915–1917

Catherine Corbett was the second woman to gain a medical degree from the University of Manchester Medical School in 1905; however, little was known about her life or work, apart from the fact that she was a School Medical Inspector (SMI) and never married. The rediscovery of her Diary in Serbia (1916) has revealed her work for the Scottish Women's Hospitals (SWH) during the First World War in Serbia (1915–1916). Her time alongside her female colleagues was a good experience, however the harsh conditions, especially those she experienced during a further period working in Russia (1916–1917), left her exhausted and psychologically stressed. After the war, her job as a SMI in Burnley and her pursuit of rock climbing helped her adjust to a normal life and allowed her to promote her views on female education