Mary S. Sherman


Mary Stults Sherman was an orthopedic surgeon and cancer researcher in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Biography

Sherman was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Walter Allen Stults and the former Edith Monica Graham. She graduated from Evanston Township High School and attended the Institute de Mme Collnot in Paris, France. In 1934, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University. The following year, she received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. From 1935 to 1936, Sherman was an instructor at the University of Illinois French Institute in Paris.
In 1941, she obtained a medical degree from the University of Chicago. She interned at Bob Roberts Hospital at the University of Chicago. In 1947, she was appointed assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Billings Hospital, also affiliated with the university. In 1952, she relocated to New Orleans to become director of the bone pathology laboratory at The Ochsner Clinic Medical Foundation, a creation of surgeon Alton Ochsner. The next year she became an associate professor at New Orleans' Tulane Medical School. A cancer researcher, she was also a senior visiting surgeon in orthopedics at the Charity Hospital in New Orleans.
She was a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha.

Death

On July 21, 1964, Sherman was found dead in her apartment on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. The body had stab wounds and burns from a fire set in the apartment. The police report classified the death as a murder. An autopsy was performed by Monroe S. Samuels, M.D., on July 21, 1964. The autopsy report classified Sherman's death as a homicide. Dr. Samuels determined that Sherman died of a stab wound in her heart. Most of the right side of her upper torso, including her right arm had been incinerated. Sherman's murder remains unsolved.

Publications

Sherman was the author or coauthor of numerous articles about bone and joint diseases. As examples, her works included:
She was also the author of an article titled "The Natural Course of Poliomyelitis: A report of 70 cases".