The First Licensed Woman Doctor in Nevada

An advertisement that appeared in the May 5, 1892, edition of the Reno Gazette Journal caught the attention of many residents in the northern Nevada town. It read as follows: “Dr. Eliza Cook may be consulted at her office in rooms 25 and 26 at the Golden Eagle Hotel between the hours of 9:30 to 11:30 A.M. and from 2 to 4 o’clock P.M.” The reason the advertisement drew so much attention was the fact that a woman physician had posted it. The idea of a woman doctor was still a relatively new one in the Old West in the late 1800s.

A female physician publicizing her services was also unique. Dr. Cook was confident her practice would benefit the community and was willing to risk criticism from those who believed the bold act was as out of place for a woman in the medical profession. Eliza’s desire to become a doctor began when she was fourteen years old. She was a voracious reader, and one of her favorite books when she was young was of a country doctor and the individuals he helped. From that point on, she was consumed with the dream of studying medicine.

Eliza Cook was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 5, 1856. Her parents, John and Margaretta, moved to America from England in the 1850s. Not long after her father passed away in 1870, Eliza, her mother, and her sister relocated to Carson Valley. Nine years after the Cooks arrived in Nevada, Eliza was presented with an opportunity to be part of the medical field. Dr. H. W. Smith, a prominent physician in Genoa, Nevada, hired her to help care for his wife. Mrs. Smith, who had just had a baby, was suffering with puerperal fever, a disease that primarily affects women within the first three days after childbirth. It progresses rapidly and causes acute symptoms of severe abdominal pain, fever, and debility. Dr. Smith was so impressed with Eliza’s natural ability and the way she tended to the patient, he suggested she study with him as a preparation for college.