Elizabeth Blackwell

Portrait of Elizabeth Blackwell

It's no secret that the field of medicine and most of the sciences were inhabited predominantly by men for much of recorded history. Many of the first women to break into the sciences were met with a lot of backlash, but it seems only fitting that those first pioneers showed exemplary bravery, determination, and intelligence. Among them was Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive her MD in America. Her motivation not only to show the world that women could be competent and often brilliant doctors, but also to make education of women's health a priority paved the way for future woman warriors in the sciences.

Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and even from a young age she could see that during this time women were still very low on the totem pole of society. Women's health was essentially taboo; indeed it was considered embarrassing and even inappropriate for women to consult with a doctor about issues related to female anatomy, and because of this women would suffer a lot of pain when they fell ill. While Blackwell recognized these issues, her concern with medicine did not flourish until later in life after her family had immigrated to America. As an adult she began as a school teacher, but as Ford states in the Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, Blackwell became, "frustrated with the limits of the teaching profession," particularly the low wages and social status associated with the position. With some help from colleagues who gave her access to private libraries of medical books, Elizabeth Blackwell set her sights on a higher goal and took aim at being the first female doctor in a male dominated field.

Her aspirations were met with a lot of resistance, however, after many of the medical schools in Pennsylvania and New York continually turned her away. Blackwell was eventually accepted into Geneva College after the student body voted to accept her, "believing [her application] to be a hoax," according to the British Journal of Hospital Medicine. Even after making it into a school, she still experienced a wealth of hate from men and women alike in the community. Graduating top of her class wasn't even enough to convince most people of her talent. Her early career remained rocky, including contracting a disease in her eye which eventually had to be surgically removed. Despite these setbacks, Blackwell persevered and managed to do some rather incredible things in a society that shunned the idea of female doctors. In 1857, she established the very first infirmary and hospital for women run by women. Her ultimate goal to expand the infirmary into a medical college specifically for women was put on hold with the American Civil War on the horizon, but eventually the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary opened its doors to female students in 1868.

A scene printed in a New York newspaper in 1870 of a lecture
on anatomy being taught at the Women's Medical College
of the New York Infirmary.

Perhaps Blackwell's most significant contribution to society and feminism in particular was her lifelong dedication to the improvement of women's health and hygiene. Throughout her life, including her challenging earlier career, she fought for the equality of women in medicine and the importance of education on female anatomy. She gave free lectures to the public to share basic but essential information on self-care for women. One of her more famous lectures, The Laws of Life, With Special Reference to the Physical Education of Girls, was actually published in 1859 and made available to the public. Because of Elizabeth Blackwell, conditions that used to plague women and their health became easily treatable and more often completely preventable. While leaps and bounds have been made in medicine since the late 1800's, fields like gynecology and public institutions like Planned Parenthood may not have come to fruition as soon as they did without Blackwell's contributions. Furthermore, in the wealth of time that I've spent in Hartline taking chemistry courses, I have met countless people working on a pre-med track, the majority of which are women. It's weird to think that at one point that this wasn't the norm, and that a few brave women had to fight opposition from both genders in order to make the quality of life better for women everywhere.


Works Cited:

Ellis, H. "Elizabeth Blackwell: a pioneer female medical graduate." British Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 71, no. 5, 2010, pp. 281-282.

Ford, B. L. "Elizabeth Blackwell." Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia. 2016.

Pictures:

Unknown. "A scene printed in a New York newspaper in 1870 of a lecture on anatomy being taught at the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary." Found, The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Blackwell,  18 September 2016, http://lifeandlegacyofelizabethblackwell.weebly.com/ny-infirmary-and-medical-school.html

Unknown. "Portrait of Elizabeth Blackwell." Found, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 September 2017, https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_35.html