Background
Her father took up her cause and had a long letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald early in February.
Her father took up her cause and had a long letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald early in February.
Her four brothers were also doctors. In 1906 Aspinall applied for residency at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA), but her application was initially rejected by the board. This drew the attention of the public and of many different groups to the rejection of Jessie"s application by the hospital, with one commentator concluding that:
Mission Aspinall will pass into history as a noble martyr, while the men who threw her out will be bracketed with Bloody Jeffreys, Torquemada and Judas Iscariot.
Amid protests from Women"s Rights Groups and intense media scrutiny, the board reversed its decision on 2 May.
She practiced at RPA until June 1907, when she was appointed the junior house surgeon at the General Hospital, Hobart. In 1908 Jessie was appointed Resident Medical Officer of the Crown Street Women"s Hospital, Sydney, and would progress to become Medical Superintendent of the institution.
Eventually Jessie moved into private practice, and had consulting rooms at Lyon"s Terrace and Macquarie Street, both in central Sydney. Aspinall also served as the school doctor for The Scots College.
Upon moving to Sydney she studied at the Presbyterian Ladies" College, Sydney, Riviere College and Kambala before earning her Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Sydney.
The family spent two periods living in Malaya. Jessie died of arteriosclerosis. Her ashes were interred in the family grave at the South Head Cemetery.
Aspinall was actively involved with the Sydney executive of the Victoria League, the National Council of Women and the appeals committee of the Young Women"s Christian Association.
To Jessie appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and in The Medical Journal of Australia.