Margaret Ann Bulkley was born around 1789, in Ireland. She had big dreams. "I want to be a doctor!" But two hundred years ago a girl couldn't become a doctor. Her uncle, James Barry, was a great painter. And his friend General Miranda had a library with more than 6,000 books. Margaret loved reading there. Her intelligence impressed him. Years later, her uncle James Barry died, leaving her some money. It was enough to study to be a doctor.
"But a girl can't become a doctor," said Margaret sadly.
"Yes, you can!" said General Miranda. "All you have to do is to disguise as a boy." Margaret really wanted to be a doctor. So she cut off her long hair, practiced speaking in a deep voice, and put on boy's clothes. She also named herself James Barry.
From then on, Margaret Ann Bulkley disappeared. She became James Barry and entered Edinburgh University. He took 13 subjects and worked all through the summer when the other students went on holiday.
Barry graduated in 1812 and decided to join the British Army. In his life, Dr. James Barry travelled all over the world, helping to save many lives. Before retirement, Barry had risen to the second-highest medical officer in the British Army. Barry improved the conditions for not only wounded soldiers but also the local people, and performed the first recorded successful caesarean section（剖宫产）in Africa. The secret Dr. James Barry kept for over fifty years was only known after his death in 1865.
