A Moment of Quiet Focus in the Midst of War
In the thick of World War II, battles weren’t just fought on distant beaches or across the skies. Some took place in sterile laboratories, where women like Lieutenant Dorothy Oborne waged a different kind of war. A war fought against disease, infection, and invisible killers that could wipe out entire units before they even saw combat.
WOMEN RESERVISTS AT NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER
BETHESDA, MD. – LIEUT. (JG) DOROTHY OBORNE, (CORRECT, NO S), A BACTERIOLOGIST, LOOKING AT A GROUP OF TEST TUBES CONTAINING CULTURE MEDIA. MISS OBORNE IS A GRADUATE OF PEMBROKE COLLEGE AT BROWN UNIVERSITY AND WAS A MEDICAL TECHNICIAN WITH A GROUP OF NEW YORK PHYSICIANS BEFORE ENTERING THE WOMEN’S RESERVE.
The photograph, taken in 1942 at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, captures a moment of quiet focus. Oborne, a bacteriologist serving in the Women’s Reserve, inspects test tubes containing culture media, likely analyzing bacterial growth. She holds the rack up to the light, her eyes scanning for something invisible to the naked eye but potentially deadly. The fate of servicemen could rest in what she and others in her field discovered.
The Unseen Enemy: How Disease Threatened the War Effort
World War II wasn’t just a war of weapons and strategy. It was a war of logistics, of science, of medicine. Disease had always been as much an enemy as the opposing army.
During World War I, more soldiers died of infections and the flu than from combat wounds. The 1918 influenza pandemic tore through military camps, killing millions worldwide, including nearly 45,000 American troops. The military had learned its lesson. By World War II, leaders knew that controlling disease was just as crucial as winning battles.
Malaria was one of the greatest threats, particularly in the Pacific. American forces fighting in the jungles of the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands were crippled by the mosquito-borne disease. In 1943, over half a million U.S. soldiers were infected. Without a vaccine, medical teams raced to find better treatments. Laboratories like the one where Oborne worked played a key role in researching malaria prevention and treatment. Scientists tested synthetic drugs like Atabrine, which, while effective, caused side effects so severe that many soldiers refused to take it. This led to massive public health campaigns within the military to educate troops on mosquito control and the importance of compliance with prescribed treatments.
Typhus was another deadly enemy, particularly in Europe, where lice infestations spread the disease rapidly among civilians and troops alike. The military pushed for mass production of a typhus vaccine, and by 1943, researchers had developed one that was distributed to Allied forces. Without it, entire campaigns could have been stalled by disease outbreaks.
The discovery and mass production of penicillin also transformed battlefield medicine. Before antibiotics, simple infections could be fatal, and conditions like pneumonia, syphilis, and gangrene were often death sentences. Oborne’s field of bacteriology was on the front lines of these advancements, helping to isolate and understand the very pathogens that antibiotics were meant to fight.
Women Answer the Call: The WAVES and Scientific Contributions
Oborne was part of a larger movement that saw women stepping into critical wartime roles. In July 1942, just months before this photo was taken, the U.S. Navy established the Women’s Reserve, known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
The WAVES were initially met with resistance. Many military officials doubted that women could handle the discipline and responsibilities required for service. But the war effort quickly proved those doubts incorrect. By 1945, over 86,000 women had served in the WAVES, taking on roles as radio operators, mechanics, meteorologists, cryptographers, and medical specialists (like Oborne).
Before the war, Oborne had been a medical technician in New York, working alongside physicians in civilian hospitals. She was highly educated, a graduate of Pembroke College at Brown University, but like so many women of her time, her expertise had been undervalued. When the war created a desperate need for skilled medical personnel, she seized the opportunity to serve.
Women like Oborne weren’t just assistants. These women were researchers, doctors, and scientists conducting critical experiments that shaped wartime medicine. Lieutenant Frances Elliott, another WAVES officer, was among those leading research into blood transfusion techniques, ensuring that wounded soldiers could receive life-saving plasma even on the battlefield. Others worked on vaccine development, studying bacterial and viral cultures to find better methods for disease prevention.
The Lasting Impact of the Women’s Reserve
The work of Oborne and the thousands of women who served in the WAVES didn’t end when the war was over. Their contributions proved that women were more than capable of handling military roles, challenging the idea that they should be relegated to civilian life once peace returned.
The success of the WAVES helped lay the groundwork for the permanent integration of women into the U.S. armed forces. In 1948, President Harry Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, allowing women to serve as regular, permanent members of the military rather than temporary wartime replacements.
The scientific advancements made during the war also had long-term effects. The military’s push for mass production of penicillin revolutionized medicine, making antibiotics widely available for civilian use after the war. Malaria research continued, eventually leading to the development of more effective treatments. And the field of bacteriology, where Oborne dedicated her service, expanded rapidly, paving the way for modern medical microbiology.
A Forgotten Legacy, Rediscovered
Looking at this photo decades later, you see more than just a woman holding test tubes. You see determination. You see the weight of responsibility. You see someone who understood that war wasn’t just about fighting, but about saving lives.
Oborne may not have made headlines. But in a quiet lab, away from the roar of battle, she was making history.
Further Reading
And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II by Evelyn Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee
This book outlines the experiences of U.S. Army nurses who served on the front lines during World War II, detailing their bravery and the challenges they faced in combat zones.
Women Doctors in War by Judith Bellafaire and Mercedes Graf
This book is about the significant contributions of female doctors during various wars, including World War II. It highlights their struggles and triumphs during wartime.
No Time for Fear: Voices of American Military Nurses in World War II by Diane Burke Fessler
Through firsthand accounts, this book provides insights into the experiences of American military nurses during World War II. It captures their challenges, fears, and dedication to the war effort.