Elizabeth Blackwell

1
Elizabeth Blackwell

• First Woman Physician in the United States

2
Childhood

• Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821.
  Her parents were Samuel Blackwell and Hannah
  Blackwell.
• She was the third born of nine children
• In 1832 her fathers sugarcane factory was
  destroyed in a fire.
• She and her family moved from England to New
  York.
• They moved to New Jersey in 1837.
• In 1838 they moved again from New Jersey to
  Cincinnati, Ohio. In August her father died.

3
Early Medical Study

• In 1845 she moved to North Carolina. She was
  tutored in Medical Science by Dr. John Dickson
• Later she moved to South Carolina and studied
  with Dr. Dicksons brother Samuel

4
Medical School

• In 1847 she moved to Philadelphia, PA.
• She was admitted to Geneva College
• The other students were hostile to her until they
  finally accepted her.
• She was awarded her Medical degree in January,
  1849
• She was the first woman physician in the US.

5
Medical Practice

• Even though she was the top in her class, the
  American Medical Fraternity banned her from
  practicing in the US.
• From 1849 to 1851 she practiced medicine in
  England and France.
• She returned to the US in 1851. She was still not
  accepted by other doctors here.
• No one would rent her space for a clinic.
• She bought a house and started her own clinic.

6
Public Service

• In 1853 she opened a clinic in the slums of New
  York for poor people.
• In 1859 she opened the New York Hospital for
  Women and Children
• In 1868 she opened the Womans Medical College of
  the New York Infirmary. This was the first
  American medical school for women.

7
Public Service

• She moved to England in 1869. She lived there the
  rest of her life.
• In 1869 she also opened the Womens Medical
  College with Florence Nightingale.
• In 1874 she opened the London School of medicine.
  She worked there as a professor until 1907 when
  she retired.
• She published many medical books between 1878 and
  1902
• She died on May 31, 1910 in Hastings, England