She was the first woman medical doctor in private practice and served on numerous community organisations, particularly those concerned with the health and welfare of women and children.
Platts-Mills was born as Elizabeth Platts in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia in 1868, emigrating with her family to Port Chalmers, New Zealand in 1880.
[1] Platts-Mills, Constance Frost and Jane Kinder were the third women medical graduates in New Zealand after Emily Siedeberg and Margaret Cruickshank.
[1][3] As well as her medical career Platts-Mills served on numerous boards and community organisations, particularly those connected with women and children: Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the St John Ambulance, the Plunket Society, the League of Mothers, the Mothers Union, the Women's National Reserve of New Zealand, the YWCA, the Social Hygiene Society and the Independent Order of Oddfellows.
[1][4][5][6] Both the Plunket Society and the Social Hygiene Society moved to take practical action on health and social needs from a public health perspective and such groups looked to woman doctors for their professional knowledge and status in dealing with government agencies.