Olive Guthrie-Smith and St Mary’s Hospital School of Physiotherapy
- Date:
- 1895-1969
- Reference:
- SA/CSP/P/4/1
- Part of:
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- Archives and manuscripts
Collection contents
About this work
Publication/Creation
Physical description
Biographical note
The Swedish Institute was founded in 1904 by Dr Mary Coghill-Hawkes. It was the first such school in Britain, giving a training based on that of Dr Avredsen’s school in Stockholm. The Institute awarded its own certificates and entered students for the ISTM examinations. In 1917 the Institute was bought by Dr Justina Wilson, who amalgamated her own school at Baker Street with it. In 1928 Isabel Smith and Olive Guthrie-Smith, Wilson’s niece, bought the Institute, which they sold to St Mary’s Hospital on their retirement in 1947. Miss ME Pratt was appointed principal.
Olive Guthrie-Smith was also known for her work with the Almeric Paget Corps from 1914, where she was the Head Masseuse at Guards Brigade Command Depot, Shoreham, and designed a pulley and sling apparatus for rehabilitation exercises. In retirement she designed a bedchair.
These papers were donated to the CSP by Miss REL Wilson, of St Mary’s Hospital School of Physiotherapy in Oct 1994. Additional items were donated by Miss WE Huggett of Harlow Wood Orthopaedic Hospital in Nov 1993.