"To be deprived of a Divorce is like being shut up in a prison because someone attempted to kill you" (Walker). She then began joining others in dress reform conventions and refused to resign from an all-male debating society. She also began regular contributions to the reformist periodical, the Sibyl. Dr. Mary Walker was very much a woman that did what she wanted. She continued to fight for her dreams and the dreams of equality, regardless of stares and gossip. .
Obviously there was still many problems with sexism, but there was also a wide conflict between the chosen style's of medical practice such as allopathic medicine, a more aggressive style often using bloodletting, or Mary's preferred method, eclectic medicine, the use of herbal medicines and a more nurturing approach to medicine which always kept the patient at the forefront. Many people back then dismissed eclectic medicine for many reasons. In my opinion, their main reason was because they admitted women into their colleges. I believe it was her personal choice to practice this type of medicine even though it was also the only choice at that time due to her sex. "There never was a woman fitted to practice medicine, surgery and obstetrics, no matter how long she may have studied. The duties of the physician are contrary and opposed to her moral, intellectual, and physical nature" (Leonard). Mary became a doctor in 1855, although the society she graduated into would not accept her based on her "abilities". She managed to support herself as a doctor and her confidence started growing. .
Up to this point in her life, she had only begun her battles. She soon found herself in Washington, D.C. in 1861, right in the midst of the Civil War between the Union and Confederates. She eagerly applied for commission in the army as a surgeon but was rejected. In spite of this setback and the more than 500 dead, she quickly gave her attention to the more than 1,100 wounded soldiers.