elizabeth Blackwell

elizabeth Blackwell

This is an online version of an exhibit held at the National Library of Medicine

On the morning of Tuesday, January 23, 1849, a young woman ascended the platform of the Presbyterian church in Geneva, N.Y., and received from the hands of the President of Geneva Medical College a diploma conferring upon her the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Thus, after many years of determined effort, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to complete a course of study at a medical college and receive the M.D. degree

elizabeth Blackwell was born February 3, 1821, near Bristol, England. She moved with her family to the United States when she was 11. Despite opposition from both fellow students and the public, she became the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States. She created a medical school for women in the late 1860s. She later returned to England and set up a private practice there.

Profile

Physician, educator. Born on February 3, 1821, near Bristol, England. Elizabeth Blackwell broke into the field of medicine to become the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States. She became a leading public health activist during her lifetime.

At the age of 11, Elizabeth Blackwell and her family moved to the United States. After her father’s death in 1838, she opened a school along with her mother and sister. Blackwell later decided to pursue a career in medicine. But the road to becoming a doctor was not an easy one for her. She studied independently with a doctor before getting accepted to the Geneva Medical College in upstate New York in 1847.

Elizabeth Blackwell’s admittance to the college created an uproar. She faced criticism from fellow students as well as the general public. But she held firm despite these challenges, earning the respect of many of her peers. Blackwell graduated in 1849.

After working in Paris and London, Elizabeth Blackwell established a private practice in New York City. She later opened a clinic that became known as the New York Dispensary for Poor Women and Children in 1853. With help from her sister and fellow doctor Emily Blackwell, she also established the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children in 1857. That same year, she became the first woman listed on the British Medical Register while she had been lecturing there.

In the late 1860s, Elizabeth Blackwell created a medical school for women. Part of their education, the students of the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary learned about hygiene from Blackwell. She believed that maintaining sanitary conditions was an important aspect of health. Earlier in her career, she had helped establish the U.S. Sanitary Commission. One of the school’s first students was Sophia Jex-Blake, who would later open a medical school for women in London.

Soon after establishing the college, Elizabeth Blackwell returned to England. She set up a private practice in London and served as a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for Women. She retired in 1877 and moved to Hastings. Elizabeth Blackwell died at her home there on May 31, 1910.

Quotes

It is not easy to be a pioneer -- but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.

– Elizabeth Blackwell