A Mighty Force: Dr. Elizabeth Hayes and Her War for Public Health

Journalist Biederman (Scan Artist) delivers a tidy history of one female physician’s campaign to improve the living conditions of Pennsylvania coal miners in the 1940s. Elizabeth “Betty” Hayes (1912–1984) grew up in Force, Pa., the daughter of the company doctor at the Shawmut Mining Company. After her father’s death, the company planned to hire an osteopath without a state license to replace him. Hayes informed the miners, who pressured executives into hiring her. Dismayed by the poor sanitary conditions of company housing, Hayes insisted Shawmut provide an “American standard of living” for its workers and their families, but was opposed by officials who complained that the paved roads, better sewage draining, and clean well water she wanted were too expensive. She eventually vowed to resign unless the changes were made, and the miners launched a work stoppage that led to national press coverage. Hayes’s perseverance brought improvements to Force and prompted the miners’ union to prioritize health and welfare concessions. Yet in 1946, when the federal government authorized a comprehensive study of health issues in mining areas, Hayes wasn’t asked to participate, the first step in her near-erasure from the historical record. Biederman’s tart prose keeps the narrative humming, though readers may wish for a more intimate portrait of Hayes. Still, this spirited biography rescues a well-deserving public health crusader from obscurity. Illus. (Oct.)