Pictures of Elizabeth

INTRO/ Reason Why I Chose Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell is one the the few women in history that made an impact on discrimination of women and women's rights. With out her we would not have all the female doctors that we do today and i would not be able to get an education to become a pharmacist. Women were not accepted in the medical field and were mocked by even trying to get where Elizabeth got. I find that she had made a huge impact on women's lives and people really need to know her story.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Baker, Rachel. "Elizabeth Blackwell." NNDB. 2009. Soylent Communications. 10 May 2009 http://www.nndb.com/people/947/000162461/.
"Elizabeth Blackwell Biography." Bio. 2007. A&E Television Networks. 10 May 2009 http://www.biography.com/articles/Elizabeth-Blackwell-9214198.
Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes, eds., American National Biography, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999.
James Edward T., Janet Wilson James and Paul S. Boyer, eds., Notable American Women, 1607-1950, v.1, pp. 161-165 (entry by Elizabeth H. Thomson), Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press (Harvard University), 1971.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Women's History." about.com. 2009. 10 May 2009 http://womenshistory.about.com/od/blackwellelizabeth/a/eliz_blackwell.ht,. Harper Paul, et al.
Lindber, Donald A. B. "Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell." Changing the face of medicine. 2009. NLM 10 May 2009 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/chaningthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_35.html.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell is one of the many amazing women of our nation’s history. If it was not for her impact on women and their rights to medical school we would not have all the opportunities we have today and we would be with out the very skilled women doctors that take care of us. She has done many things in her life that no ordinary women would ever find the way to do. Her life story is very important to those women, like me, who are interested in being in the medical field and it is crucial that people know about it.

The main thing that Blackwell I known for is being the first woman to graduate from medical school as well as opening her own hospitals, colleges, and practices completely on her own despite the set backs she had from discrimination. It all started when Blackwell was young. She was educated at a young age by a private tutor because her father believed that women should get an education just as much as men should. At this time she was one of the few girls actually getting taught information other then how to cook and clean. She was taught by house servants that had limited education but for Blackwell it was enough to get her mind going and got her striving for more.

Elizabeth ’s father moved the family to the United States in 1832. The family was moved from New York to Jersey City and then to Cincinnati because of poor business. Her father ended up dying in Cincinnati leaving the rest of the family with no financial resources. Her mother with the help of the two daughters opened a small private school in order to support their living needs. Elizabeth became interested in the topic of medicine around this time and really dreamed of being a woman physician. She felt that a lot of women would prefer to consult with a women doctor about their problems instead of having to talk to men. Finally Blackwell parted from her family and went to Kentucky and then to North and South Carolina in order to further her education. She became a teacher to pay for her studies of medicine. She said later, "The idea of winning a doctor's degree gradually assumed the aspect of a great moral struggle, and the moral fight possessed immense attraction for me." (http://womenshistory.about.com/od/blackwell%20elizabeth/a/eliz_blackwell.htm) In 1847 she started looking to apply to college.

Elizabeth was rejected over and over by all the top of the line schools alone with any of the not so known schools as well. She finally got into Geneva Medical College in New York but not because of her intelligence but merely because they did not believe she would make it and thought it was a practical joke to give her admission to the school. “When she could afford tuition, she was rejected at twenty-nine medical schools before being accepted at Geneva College (now Hobart College ), but even there it was rumored that her admission had been meant as a something of a joke.” (http://www.nndb.com/people/947/000162461/)
Once they figured out how serious she was about getting what she wanted, people became afraid of her. She ended up graduating first in her class in January 1849 with pride beyond imagination. “Hers was the last name called, after all the male graduates had received their degrees, and when the school's President said a few words in Latin and handed her the degree, she replied, "Sir, I thank you. By the help of the Most High, it shall be the effort of my life to shed honor upon your diploma." The ladies in the audience, along with many of the men, applauded, and Blackwell did fulfill her promise.” (http://www.nndb.com/pe ople/947/000162461/)
She became the first woman doctor of medicine and people were amazed with what she had accomplished. This has opened up doors for so many women all of the United States because of what she had been able to do.

After Blackwell got her degree everything was not up hill for her. Hospitals were not willing to hire her because they did not trust a woman in practice. No one was willing to give her a chance because she was a lady and did not have the skills of a man. She decided to go to Paris , France and train there. Unfortunately, one thing after another, she ended up with an eye infection that caused her to lose her eye and replaced it with a glass one. Since Blackwell couldn’t practice she wanted to help other women succeed the way she did. During the American Civil War she trained many women to be nurses and sent them to the union army. She eventually returned to New York where she bought a home and turned it into her own practice. She saw women and children from her home. As she was doing her practice she published a book called The Laws of Life in 1852. The book was about the physical education of young girls.

After the war Elizabeth was able to open up a Women’s Medical College at the Infirmary she had built up. She opened this college so that no other women would get laughed at and rejected from the education they were dying to learn. She would accept all who had the desire to learn. Even Elizabeth ’s sister followed her footsteps and earned her medical degree. After that, she joined Elizabeth in her path to greatness.

During the civil war, the two sisters helped to organize the Women’s Central Association of Relief. This organization selected and trained nurses for the service in the war. By starting up this organization it inspired the making of the United States Sanitary Commission which had the same basic principles of the original organization. Elizabeth then went back to London and helped organize the National Health Society and she also founded the London School of Medicine for Women.

Elizabeth retired after being appointed professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for children. She died in 1910 after seriously injuring herself by falling down stairs. Over all Elizabeth ’s life had a huge impact on the lives of women around the world. She accomplished more then any women of her time could even imagine. She Is a remarkable women who opened doors of education and work for all Women who came after her including someone like myself. If it wasn’t for her we would not be as medically successful with finding cures and new medications. She proved in her life time that women are just as smart as men and have great potential to be anything they want to be as long as they work hard at it.