Elizabeth Blackwell made many amazing contributions to science. The one she is most well known for is becoming the first woman to earn a medical degree from an American medical school.
Elizabeth Blackwell had many accomplishments, but with those accomplishments she was also faced with many challenges. Getting admitted to a medical school was one of her first and probably one of her greatest challenges. The education she had from England was not enough to get her into medical school, she lived with the families of two doctors who were able to give her mentoring and during her spare time she read medical books.
Many medical colleges refused her application, except for Geneva College in New York. It is believed that the only reason she was sent a letter of acceptance was because it was intended to be a joke. Nobody expected her to attend the medical school.
During Elizabeth Blackwell’s time at Geneva College, she was not welcomed …show more content…
with open arms. Her acceptance to the college created uproar, she was criticized and she was not allowed to participate in labs and had to sit separately in lectures. Eventually she overcame all of that and earned the respect of her peers. When she finally graduated in 1849, she graduated at the top of her class, and became the first woman ever to earn a medical degree.
Elizabeth Blackwell continued her medical education and training in Paris and London.
Educating women at that time was even less accepted in Europe than it was in the United States, so she was sent to work with the midwives. During this time she worked with many nurses and focused on preventative care and hygiene. When she returned to America in 1851, she was not allowed to practice medicine in any of the hospitals or clinics. In 1853, she opened her own small clinic called the New York Dispensary for Poor Women and Children, in New York City. Soon after, in 1857, Elizabeth Blackwell opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister, and fellow doctor, Dr. Emily Blackwell. Their reputation was highly recognized and they received the support of other physicians and other notable citizens. In 1867 the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary, was opened and provided medical training and experience for female doctors and medical care for the
poor.
Shortly after Elizabeth Blackwell opened the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary, she went back to England numerous times, helped establish the London School of Medicine for Women and was finally able to open her own private practice in London. She was also a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for women. She retired in the late 1870’s but remained an advocate for reform.