Full Name: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
Date of Birth: February 3, 1821
Place of Birth: Counterslip, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England
Died: May 31, 1910
Place of Death: Hastings, Sussex, England
Classification: Scientists & Thinkers
Known as the first woman medical doctor of the modern era, Elizabeth Blackwell went on to prove that women could attain prominent positions in society, academia, and in medicine. Although she was ostracized by her fellow classmates, denied entry into some of her classes, and even threatened, she went on to graduate first in her class at the Geneva Medical College, now Hobart College, in New York State.
Young Elizabeth was brought up in a wealthy Anglo-Saxon family of England. Just after she was ten years of age, her family decided to move to New York. Her father, being a liberal in both politics and religion, fought on the side of abolitionists. Thereafter, the family moved to Ohio in the Midwest of the United States. Upon her father’s death, her well-educated sisters and she decided to open a private school. They went on to become teachers in Kentucky and the Carolinas.
Young Elizabeth had always been interested in medicine, but knew that entrance into medical school would be next to impossible because she was female. However, she began studying alongside some physicians during her spare time and by the mid 1800s, she was admitted into a renowned medical program. While the majority didn't necessarily accept her, she was aided by a few in her studies. She gained national recognition as the first female doctor to graduate in the U.S.A.
After her graduation, she moved to England in hopes of advancing her studies even more. She had dreams of becoming a surgeon and began working in the field of maternity, but somehow obtained purulent conjunctivitis, which tragically left her blind in only one eye. Without depth perception, she would not or could not become a surgeon, so she decided to attempt another life back in New York. But there, she found even more difficulty in finding a post or even opening her own practice. So, she published papers and gave lectures. One of her most important contributions of the day was a focus on the importance of exercise and physical education for the female sex in schools. At that time, it was believed that females should not exercise, as it would cause infertility. However, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell wanted to negate such myths that were rampant in society.
Elizabeth’s younger sister obtained her doctorate degree and was aided by another female doctor, Dr. Marie Zakrzezska who helped to open the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. With the onslaught of the Civil War in the United States, she was instrumental in organizing schools, commissions, and associations to help train nurses for the war. Later in England, she formed the Woman’s Medical College with the help of Florence Nightingale. During this time, she contributed much to academic and mainstream medical writing as she did to real-world practice. Her papers on The Religion of Health, The Human Element in Sex, and her autobiography are all required reading for any medical enthusiast attempting to become a physician.
