Elizabeth Blackwell
She shattered the granite wall of American medicine, becoming the first woman to earn a medical degree and opening the profession to others.
1821–1910 (age 89)·British-American physician·Birthday: February 3
Biography
Elizabeth Blackwell's path to medicine began with a friend's dying wish—that a female physician would have spared her embarrassment. That sentiment ignited a stubborn, nearly impossible quest. Rejected by every major medical school, she was finally admitted to Geneva Medical College in New York as a practical joke by the all-male student body. They didn't expect her to excel, but she did, graduating first in her class in 1849. Her victory was lonely; hospitals barred her from practice. Undeterred, she founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, a institution staffed entirely by women, for women. Later, she established a women's medical college in London. Blackwell was less a practicing clinician and more a relentless institution-builder, creating the physical and educational structures that allowed the women who followed her to walk through the door she had kicked open.
#1 When Elizabeth Was Born
The biggest hits of 1821
Elizabeth's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1821Born
1826Started school
1834Became a teenager
1837Could drive
1839Could vote
1842Turned 21
1851Turned 30
1861Turned 40
President: Abraham Lincoln
1871Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Turned 60
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 70
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 80
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Died at 89
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, graduating from Geneva Medical College in 1849.
- Founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children in 1857, providing clinical experience for female doctors.
- Established the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary in 1868, expanding formal medical education for women.
- Became the first woman entered on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom (1859).
- Co-founded the National Health Society in England to promote public health education.
Did You Know?
She initially disliked the study of anatomy and medicine but was determined to see her goal through.
During her training, she lost sight in one eye from an infection, forcing her to abandon her dream of becoming a surgeon.
She adopted an Irish orphan named Kitty Barry, who became her lifelong companion and assistant.
Her sister, Emily Blackwell, was the third woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S. and worked closely with her.
“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.”
