Early Graduate, Medical College of Indiana
Helene Knabe, M.D. was an early graduate of the Medical College of Indiana, a predecessor school to the Indiana University School of Medicine. She was one of only 2 female graduates in the 1904 class.
Dr. Knabe was the first woman to become an assistant pathologist for the Indiana State Laboratory of Hygiene. In 1905, she became Deputy State Health Officer. In this role, she investigated cases of poor sanitation, typhoid, and other diseases present in the state. In 1906, she was promoted to Assistant State Bacteriologist, and served in this role until 1908. During this time, Dr. Knabe became the first doctor in Indiana to champion a new treatment for rabies that was credited with greatly reducing mortality rates for the disease.
From 1908 to 1911, Dr. Knabe served as an Associate in Clinical Diagnosis for the Indiana University School of Medicine. She also served as an instructor in hygiene and physiology at the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union (now the Indiana University School of Physical Education and Tourism Management) from 1910 to 1911.
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