Mercy and Madness: Dr. Mary Archard Latham's Tragic Fall from Female Physician to Felon

Spokane, Washington’s first female physician, Mary Archard Latham moved to the community with her three sons—leaving her husband behind in Ohio—in 1888. She sought a better climate for her health and worked tirelessly for the health of all of Spokane’s citizens, but particularly women and children and especially the poor. She helped found the Spokane Humane Society and the Spokane Public Library, and she was beloved and respected in the community.

Then, in 1903, one of her sons died and she ...