January 23 - First Female Medical Graduate

This Day in History: 23 January 2020

 

23 January 1849

 

171 years ago, today, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman ever to receive a medical degree, at a graduation ceremony in New York, given to her by the Geneva Medical College. Born in Bristol, she grew up with an abolitionist father, a brother who, along with his wife, were very active in the women's suffrage movement, and a younger sister, who also studied medicine. Elizabeth was inspired to become a doctor after a conversation with her dying friend revealed her situation had been worsened by the fact that all physicians were men. The thought of a woman in a medical career was seen as a joke to society, and even by the men who accepted her into Geneva Medical College, which in fact, happened out of a student vote, who voted in favor for her as a practical joke, leading to her enrollment in 1847. She was shunned at school, by the citizens of Geneva, and even by her professors, who complained that teaching her was a waste of time.

 

After graduating, Elizabeth set up a clinic for the poor in New York City, where she was met with a degree of opposition, but still continued to efficiently treat her patients. She then founded a hospital, the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, in 1857, and a year later, the institution was expanded to include a women's college to train nurses and doctors, which was the first of its kind in America. Later, she moved to London, and became a professor of gynecology at the School of Medicine for Women. Not only did Blackwell receive a medical degree and practice medicine, but she also contributed greatly to educating female doctors in America, a profession that was mainly dominated by men.

 

Want to find out more about the life and legacy of Elizabeth Blackwell? Clickhere for more information.