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Elizabeth Blackwell (Wikipedia Page)

Elizabeth Blackwell (February 3, 1821 – May 31, 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council. Elizabeth Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social and moral reformer. She acted as a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell's contributions remain celebrated through an Elizabeth Blackwell medal that is awarded to one woman every year who has added to the cause of promoting women in medicine. Furthermore, Hobart and William Smith College recently created a statue on their campus honoring Elizabeth Blackwell.

Elizabeth Blackwell was initially uninterested in a career in medicine especially after her schoolteacher brought in a bull's eye to use as a teaching tool. Therefore, she became a schoolteacher in order to support her family. This occupation was seen as suitable for women during the 1800s, however, being a schoolteacher did not interest Blackwell. Blackwell's motivation to go into medicine came after her friend fell ill and suggested that if a female doctor had cared for her, she might not have suffered so much. Blackwell began to apply to medical schools, however, she endured a lot of prejudice due to her gender. She was rejected from all the medical schools she applied to except Geneva Medical College. In 1847 Blackwell became the first woman to attend medical school in the United States.

Elizabeth Blackwell had her inaugural thesis on typhoid fever published in the Buffalo Medical Journal right after she graduated college in 1849. This article was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States. Her article portrayed a strong sense of empathy and sensitivity to human suffering as well as a strong desire for social and economic justice. This point of view was considered very feminine. Furthermore, in 1857, Blackwell also opened up the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily. She also gave lectures to women about the importance of educating girls.

Early life[edit]
Elizabeth was born on February 3, 1821, in Bristol, England to Samuel Blackwell, who was a sugar refiner, and his wife Hannah (Lane) Blackwell. She had two older siblings, Anna and Marian, and would eventually have six younger siblings: Samuel (married Antoinette Brown), Henry (married Lucy Stone), Emily (third woman in the U.S. to get a medical degree), Sarah Ellen (a writer), John and George. She also had four maiden aunts: Barbara, Ann, Lucy, and Mary, who also lived with them.

In 1832, the family emigrated from Bristol, England to New York because Samual Blackwell had lost their most profitable sugar refinery to a fire. In New York, her father became active in abolitionist work. Therefore, their dinnertime discussions often surrounded issues such as women's rights, slavery, and child labor. These liberal discussions reflected Hannah and Samual's attitudes toward child rearing. For example, rather than beating the children for bad behavior, Barbara Blackwell recorded their trespasses in a black book. If the offenses accumulated, the children would be exiled to the attic during dinner. Samual Blackwell was similarly liberal in his attitude towards the education of his children. Samuel Blackwell was a Congregationalist and exerted a strong influence over the religious and academic education of his children. He believed that each child, including his girls, should be given the opportunity for unlimited development of their talents and gifts. This perspective was rare during that time, as most people believed that the women's place was in the home or as a schoolteacher. Blackwell had not only a governess, but private tutors to supplement her intellectual development. As a result, she was rather socially isolated from all but her family as she grew up.

A few years after the family moved to New York, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. When Blackwell was 17 her father passed away, leaving the family with very little money.

Influence
After Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from University in 1849, her thesis on typhoid fever was published in the Buffalo Medical Journal. In 1857, Blackwell opened up the New York Infirmary for Women with her younger sister Emily. At the same time, she also gave lectures to women in The United States and England about the importance of educating women and the profession of medicine for women. In the audience at one of her lectures in England, was a woman named Elizabeth Garrett Anderson who later became the first woman doctor in England in 1865. Furthermore, Blackwell played a large role during the civil war in organizing the nurses. In 1874, Blackwell worked together with Florence Nightingale, Sophia Jex-Blake, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Emily Blackwell, and Thomas Henry Huxley in order to create the first medical school for women in England called, London School of Medicine for Women. Blackwell acted as the Chair of Hygiene. Blackwell settled in England in the 1870s and continued with working on expanding the profession of medicine for women. She influenced as much as 476 women to become registered medical women in England alone. Up until her death, Blackwell worked in an active practice in Hastings, England. She still did lectures at the School of Medicine for Women. Throughout her lifetime, she authored, The Laws of Life in Relation to the Physical Education of Girls, The Human Element in Sex, The Religion of Health, and The Moral Education of the Young in Relation .