Margaret "Mom" Chung
“I think that the [male patients] were so anxious to see what made the wheels go 'round in a woman doctor, much less a Chinese one, that they didn't feel anything but curiosity for the first few days.”
Image: Wikipedia, "Margaret Chung."
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Alexandra, Rae, Kqed, "The Chinese-American Doctor Who Raised Hell—and 1,500 WW2 Servicemen."
Her Story
Margaret Chung was one of only two women enrolled in medical school at University of Southern California. She was a great student, however sexist policies forbade her from proper hospital internships, which forced her to work as a surgical nurse in Chicago. In 1916 she moved to the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital where she became a successful surgeon.
When she moved to San Francisco in 1921, Chung saw an opportunity to be the first Chinese doctor practicing Western medicine; hence opening her office in Sacramento Street. Chung’s patients benefited greatly from this, her Chinese patients could easily come in without a translator and were at ease with a female doctor.
Chung’s success did wonders for healthcare in Chinatown. She volunteered at a local school, co-founded the Chinese Hospital in 1925 and avidly participated in women’s organizations such as the San Francisco Medical Women's Club and the San Francisco Women's City Club.
As her popularity skyrocketed, her sexuality and loose morals became the basis of unsavory rumors. However, those rumors made her more popular. The former attracted lesbian couples who were discriminated against at other hospital. The latter attracted women seeking birth control and abortions.
Margaret Chung was an extremely compassionate and caring person, so much so that she became the adoptive mother of over 500 military men, all either serving in various branches of the military in 1937, giving her the moniker “Mom Chung.” Her “adoptions” of so many soldiers garnered a lot of positive attention, Chung used this to make
Alexandra, Rae, Kqed, "The Chinese-American Doctor Who Raised Hell—and 1,500 WW2 Servicemen."
Malinda Lo, "Dr. Margaret Chung’s Secret Identity."
gigantic strides in her philanthropic efforts. After Co-founding Rice Bowl Parties - a fundraising festival that raises money to send aid to China, she raised over $235,000 for her causes.
“After her death, one of her "Fair-Haired Bastards" paid tribute to her in his diary. "God bless and rest her very beautiful soul," Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood wrote. "There will never be another Mom Chung,".”
Alexandra, Rae, Kqed, "The Chinese-American Doctor Who Raised Hell—and 1,500 WW2 Servicemen."