Born on February 3, 1821 in
Bristol,
England Elizabeth Blackwell became the first
female doctor. She grew up in
New York with her radical family. Her father was heavily into
abolitionism and the family had
radical religious views for the time. Elizabeth’s views were no different. In order to avoid
marriage Elizabeth decided she wanted to become a doctor. When she applied to
medical school all of them turned her down thinking it was absurd to have a female doctor. After
rejections to 29 medical schools, Blackwell applied to
Geneva College in
Geneva, New York. The administration decided to allow the students decide whether or not to admit her. The
student body thinking it was a
joke voted to admit her.
At medical school Elizabeth Blackwell was shunned and often banned from certain lectures seeming
inappropriate for a lady. She stood patient and over time was slowly accepted at the school. She ended up graduating first in her class and therefore becoming the first female physician.
After working in England for six years she returned in 1857 and tried to work in the
United States. Very few people were willing to come to her. They were still
nervous about having a female doctor. Because of this she and her
sister (who had just
graduated medical school) opened the
New York Infirmary for Women and Children in New York City. The infirmary helped
poor women and children with medical needs. Soon after they opened a medical school for women as part of the infirmary.
Elizabeth worked in the US and England as a doctor and
professor up until a couple years before her death on May 31, 1910. During her life she helped start the
Women’s Center Association of Relief, the
National Health Society in
London, and the
London School of Medicine for Women.
Elizabeth started a
revolution and we can thank her for proving to the world that
women are just as mentally competent as men in the study of medicine. She opened a world to us that now
women and
men can choose to see a female doctor if they feel more comfortable. And now
young girls can aspire to become doctors and
scientists without the same judgments that Elizabeth was faced with.