Elizabeth Blackwell

Born:  February 3, 1821, Bristol, England

Died:  May 31, 1910, Hastings, England

Resting Place:  St Munn's Parish Church, Kilmun, Scotland

Brief History:  Blackwell was not initially interested in a career in medicine. She became a schoolteacher in order to support her family however, she soon found it unsuitable for her. Her interest in medicine was sparked after a friend fell ill and remarked that, had a female doctor cared for her, she might not have suffered so much. In 1847, Blackwell became the first woman to attend medical school in the United States. Blackwell founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily Blackwell in 1857, and began giving lectures to female audiences on the importance of educating girls. She played a significant role during the American Civil War by organizing nurses, and the Infirmary developed a medical school program for women, providing substantial work with patients. In the summer between her two terms at Geneva, she returned to Philadelphia, stayed with Elder, and applied for medical positions in the area to gain clinical experience. On 23 January 1849, Blackwell became the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. The local press reported her graduation favorably, and when the dean, Charles Lee, conferred her degree, he stood up and bowed to her.

In 1853, Blackwell established a small dispensary near Tompkins Square. When the American Civil War broke out, the Blackwell sisters aided in nursing efforts on the side of the Union Army. Blackwell sympathized heavily with the North due to her abolitionist roots, and even said she would have left the country if the North had compromised on the subject of slavery. However, Blackwell did meet with some resistance on the part of the male-dominated United States Sanitary Commission. In 1858, due to a clause in the Medical Act of 1858 that recognized doctors with foreign degrees practicing in Britain before 1858, she became the first woman to have her name entered on the General Medical Council's medical register. Blackwell believed that the Christian morality ought to play as large a role as scientific inquiry in medicine and that medical schools ought to instruct students in the subject. She exchanged letters with Lady Byron about women's rights issues and became very close friends with Florence Nightingale, with whom she discussed opening and running a hospital.