Mary KissellabortionistsfemaleSUMMARY: Mary Kissell, age 25, died on August 2, 1937 after an abortion involving midwife Sophie Mann and Dr. Gertrude Plenz.

Midwife Sophie Mann and her sister, Dr. Gertrude Plenz, were both indicted in the August 2, 1937 abortion death of 25-year-old Mary L. Kissell, the divorced mother of a little girl. I can only find snippets about Mary’s death. Evidently she went to her family doctor after the abortion. He examined her and sent her to Cook County Hospital on July 17, 1937. She died on August 2.

Mary dropped her husband’s surname, Sietsma, upon her divorce.

Sophie, a midwife, preferred instructing her patients to take hot baths, use a hot water bottle on the abdomen, and use a concoction involving vinegar.