Ebeth Scobbie (1914–1994)
“Ebeth” is a relatively unusual contraction of Elizabeth: compare Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Lisa, Liza, Betty, Libby, and even Lizbet and Eliza… Normally, for a favourite family name like Elizabeth, close relatives would have differentiating versions, but the Scobbies seemed to like it: using it for aunt and niece. It’s not clear if this is because the younger Ebeth’s birth and early childhood occurred while her aunt was in Smyrna, or not. It seems that her mother, also Elizabeth, was called by her middle name, Bertie.
I like this portrait — I think there’s a little bit of attitude. My memories of Ebeth contextualise her as being one of the four sisters of my father. From my perspective it was rather surprising that “sisters” could be silver-haired pensioners (them being half a century older than me). They were impressive, kindly, and had natural authority. More surprisingly perhaps, I was under the impression that my aunts were English, partly because two (had) lived there, but just as much from their posh accents. In fact, all were just speaking “1920s Laurel Bank”, an accent that was decidedly not Glaswegian.
Ebeth graduated in medicine in 1938. She was an accomplished amateur painter, and even a published scientist. Thanks to digitisation of academic journals (with free access), you can read a rather nice wartime research paper on the treatment of head lice with various oils and chemicals (cited as recently as 1991 and 2001 in two PhDs, and in 2008 in a systematic review), and another in paediatrics.
Here is her Glasgow Herald obituary (Aug 1994).
Dr. Ebeth Barr [Elizabeth Bertie Stevenson Scobbie] has died in … Cheltenham …
The third daughter of the late George [George Hill Scobbie 1881–1961] and Bertie Scobbie [Elizabeth Bertie Stevenson 1883–1949] of Dunglass, Manse Road, Bearsden, she was educated at Laurelbank School and graduated MB, ChB at Glasgow University in 1938. She then specialised in paediatrics, achieving the DCh and receiving her MD in 1942. She served at Newcastle Infirmary, then as a consultant at Yorkhill. She also had experience in general practice and married the late William A[lexander] Barr, also of Manse Road, Bearsden, in 1947 [sic, it was 1949]. She then moved to Cheltenham, where she pioneered a wheelchair and supported the Cheltenham Association for the Transport of the Disabled. She is survived by her son, John and her grandson, Blake.
- Elizabeth B.S. Scobbie (1942) Haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Archives of Disease in Childhood 17(92), pp. 175–186 [link and [pdf]
- Elizabeth B.S. Scobbie (1945) Substances used in treatment of pediculosis capitis. British Medical Journal 4394, pp. 409–412. [link]
Apart from the images and opinions, this entry is based on information in the public domain.
Originally published at noisybrain.wordpress.com on June 4, 2017.
