A Brief Look At Elizabeth Blackwell

Throughout the years of healthcare in the United States many things have changed. In this paper I will be discussing the research I found on important figures in this profession and how they helped shaped healthcare into what it is today.
Let’s first get started with Americas first doctor who was a woman by the name of Elizabeth Blackwell. Elizabeth was born in Bristol England on February 3, 1821. She came to America with her family in 1832 around the age of 12. Blackwell’s reasoning for pursuing a future in the medical field is actually quite interesting. Elizabeth ended up having a longtime friend who was diagnosed with a terminal disease which made her decide to pursue a career in the medical field. It was not easy for Elizabeth to earn
her medical degree. She received a lot of criticism from her fellow classmates and teachers because she was a female let alone the only female in her class.
Blackwell was accepted into Geneva medical school in New York in 1847 where she ranked first in her class.
Elizabeth went on to studying at La Maternite where she primarily focused on midwifery. While she was studying there she contracted a disease which left her blind in one eye. The blindness in her eye left her unable to practice and perform surgeries which is something that Elizabeth was hoping she would be able to do.
In the 1850s she opened a clinic in New York for indigence women and children with the help of her sister Emily who was the surgeon there and physician Marle Zakrewska. In 1857 the clinic grew into a fully operating hospital. The hospital ended up staying established for over 100 years which is quite impressive. Elizabeth always strived to maintain a clean, safe and sanitary work area.
In 1861 under the observation of president Abraham Lincoln, Blackwell helped create the United States sanitary commission. Towards the late 1860s Elizabeth established a women’s medical school. She was the first listed British medical register in the late 1800s. Blackwell was an established writer and published multiply books including an autobiography in 1895 called, “Pioneer work in opening the medical profession to women.” One of my favorite quotes from her is and I quote, “It is not easy to be a pioneer, but oh, it is fascinating I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world”. Elizabeth passed away from a stroke in Hastings, England
on May 31, 1910.
The second person I would like to talk about coincidentally is another female and Americas first trained nurse.
Linda Richards was born near Potsdam, New York on July 27, 1841. Linda was known for her pioneer work and was actively involved in nursing organizations. Linda’s family and friends around her had a big influence on her choice to pursue a career in the medical field. Linda was a great caregiver. She took care of her fiancé who was injured during the Civil War and took care of her sick neighbors as well. Richards would travel to Boston and work as an assistant nurse from time to time. A hospital for women and children in Boston opened up a nursing program where Linda received her training. Linda was one of the first of five students who started the program in September of 1872 and finished a year later in September of 1873.
Linda was hospitalized for mental reasons during her lifetime and because of that she ended up putting all her energy towards nursing in mental facilities. Linda became a director of training schools at the taunted insane hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts and another insane asylum in Michigan. Linda retired at the age of 70 while living on a farm in Lowell, Massachusetts. After suffering from a severe stroke she was hospitalized again and remained in the hospital until she died on April 16, 1930 around the age of
88.
I think it is amazing to know that the first doctor and the first registered nurse in America were both females. I was pleasantly surprised by that. I think it is honorable that they chose careers in the medical field due events that happened in their personal lives and dedicated their lives to helping others get well. I feel like people underestimate the roles of doctors and nurses in our society when we really should be thanking them for all they do. We truly need these selfless people because they fight every day and night to save people’s lives.
The last person I would like to discuss is Daniel Hale Williams. Daniel was an African-American doctor and the first person to preform open-heart surgery. Daniel was born on January 18,1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He decided to pursue a career in pioneer medicine. He went to medical school in Chicago. Through accomplishing successful heart surgeries, he became the head doctor at Freemen’s hospital. Daniel suffer from a debilitating stroke in 1929 and passed away 5 years later on August 4 1931 in Idlewild, Michigan.