Page 15 - Layout 1

WOMEN IN
MEDICINE

their brain. This, it was alleged, would render her left eye became contaminated and developed a severe infection,
them sterile, hysterical and prone to suffering which led, eventually, to the surgical removal of her left eye. This
fainting spells. loss foreclosed for her the possibility of being admitted for surgical
training, which she was hoping to receive in Europe.
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in 1821 in Bristol,
England, one of nine children born to Samuel and By 1854, she was back in the United States and again found it
Hannah Blackwell. In 1832, the family moved to difficult to develop a medical practice, probably due to the belief
New York. Elizabeth became interested in various that women doctors were often abortionists. In New York she
religious denominations and became active in the founded a clinic to treat indigent women. To aid in the work, she
abolitionist movement. A few years later the fam- took under her sponsorship a young German immigrant wanting
ily moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. But shortly there- to pursue a medical career. Her name was Marie Zarkszewski. Even-
after, the family business of sugar refinement went tually, Marie became the second woman in this country to obtain a
into bankruptcy and Elizabeth’s father died. This medical degree. The two doctors were soon joined by Elizabeth s
forced Elizabeth and her sisters to engag in tutor- younger sister, Emily, who was the third woman to obtain a medical
ing children. Eventually, she obtained lodging degree in the United States. The three of them founded the Infir-
with a doctor in North Carolina who allowed her mary for Indigent Women and Children in New York, which by
to look at and study his medical books. Later, she now had gained public support, including that of the newspaper
moved to Philadelphia to improve her chances of “The New York Tribune.”
enrolling in a medical school. Repeated applica-
tions were rejected on account of her gender and Elizabeth continued to be involved in other social issues and sup-
the belief that a woman’s intellect was inferior to ported the abolition of slavery. During the Civil War, in conjunction
that of a man. with Dorothy Dix, she helped to train nurses for the Union Army s

In October 1847, Elizabeth’s luck changed due continued on page 16
to what might be considered an accident or a joke. Geneva Medical
School (now Hobart College) in upstate New York, was in a situa-
tion of disagreement between the dean, the faculty and the student
body. One of the issues in question was Elizabeth Blackwell s appli-
cation. The faculty and the dean could not decide whether to admit
her or not. They turned the decision over to the student body, with
the proviso that if a single student opposed her admission, her ap-
plication would be rejected. The student body, to embarrass the dean
and as a “joke,” approved her admission by unanimity.

At school, Elizabeth’s efforts were directed first toward orienting
herself in this unfamiliar environment without sympathy for her sit-
uation, and then toward the study of the subjects required in the
curriculum. She rejected all suitors and had few or no friends. She
graduated in 1849 and, aware of her limitations, decide to go to Eu-
rope to advance her medical knowledge and experience. It was cus-
tomary for all American doctors who could afford it, to do so then.
France, Germany and England were the most common destinations.
In England, she was confronted by the usual wall of rejections due
to her gender. In Paris, she finally gained admission to the Maternite
Hospital, where she was well recognized and appreciated. Unfortu-
nately, while taking care of an infant with ophtalmia neonatorum,

visit us at www.bcms.org 15