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Elizabeth Blackwell Breaking Barriers in Medicine Cassie Chance Senior Division Historical Paper Paper Length: 2125 Elizabeth Blackwell Breaking Barriers in Medicine Cassie Chance Senior Division Historical Paper Paper Length: 2125 Chance 2 The medical profession has been primarily male dominated for most of its history. In the early 1800’s women around the world attempted to become doctors but could not enter any universities to take advantage of the developing medical science because they were not accepting women. One exception to this was a woman named Elizabeth Blackwell. On January 23, 1849, Blackwell became the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States from Geneva College in upstate New York, and then became the first licensed female physician in the world. She graduated top in her class and became an inspiration to other women. This achievement and inspiration led to twenty women completing medical training within three years of her graduation. These women were accepted into colleges throughout the United States and Europe. Blackwell’s accomplishments paved the way for women to take on significant roles by breaking obstacles and barriers within the educational and medical communities in a traditionally male dominated field. Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821, in Bristol, England. Debra Michals, stated, “Blackwell was the third of nine children of Hannah Lane and Samuel Blackwell, a sugar refiner, Quaker, and anti-slavery activist” (National Women’s History Museum). Blackwell also had a famous brother, Henry, an abolitionist and women’s suffrage supporter who married Lucy Stone, a women’s rights activist. She also had a sister, Emily Blackwell, who followed in her footsteps and also became a doctor. When she was ten years old, her family moved to New York for financial reasons and also because her father wanted to advocate against and assist with efforts to abolish slavery. Blackwell grew up in a very supportive household. Her parents were Quakers, and they believed in equality in all perspectives. Her father died in 1838, and in remembrance, his children also became advocates by supporting women’s rights and the anti-slavery movement. Blackwell first worked as a teacher to help her mother and siblings, but then she Chance 3 quickly decided to attend medical school after she found the work unpleasant and uninspiring. As noted in “That Girl There is Doctor in Medicine,” She craved an occupation that satisfied her intellect as well as her idealistic and religious nature” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). When Blackwell first decided to become a doctor, her parents were encouraging, but she soon realized the rest of the world was not as easily convinced in the likelihood of a woman becoming a doctor. According to “Changing the Face of Medicine,” “Her inspiration came from a close friend that was dying who suggested that she would have been spared her suffering if her physician had been a female” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Blackwell did not know how to become a physician, so she communicated and inquired with the physicians her family knew. They told her becoming a doctor was a great idea, but it was impossible; it was too expensive and the education at that time was not available to women. One physician Blackwell sought advice from was Dr. Joseph Warrington from Philadelphia who felt that her plan could not be fulfilled. Dr. Joseph Warrington said in a letter, “Elizabeth, it is of no use trying. Thee cannot gain admission to these schools. Thee must go to Paris and don masculine attire to gain the necessary knowledge” (“Changing the Face of Medicine”). “That Girl There is Doctor in Medicine” also explained, “Elizabeth lacked money to support her studies and her preparation in science and classical languages were inadequate for admission to a well-established medical school. She also needed to obtain some prior medical experience, which many schools required. To earn money Blackwell turned again to teaching and arranged to live in a physician’s household, where she received some medical training, the use of a medical library, and the opportunity to study Greek and Latin. However, the most formidable obstacle remained: admission to a medical school” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Chance 4 She applied to 13 different colleges for a year while studying independently with doctors for the time being, and all rejected her except Geneva Medical College which is currently known as Hobart College. “Changing the Face of Medicine” explained, “The faculty assumed the all-male student body would never agree to a female joining them, and allowed them to vote. Her acceptance was decided by the student body who voted ‘yes’ as a joke.” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Blackwell finally broke through one of her biggest obstacles by never giving up. While in college, Blackwell continued to face obstacles and discrimination. Debra Michals indicated “professors forced her to sit separately at lectures and often excluded her from labs; local townspeople shunned her as a ‘bad’ woman for defying her gender role” (National Women’s History Museum). Within two years of her acceptance, Blackwell was the “first women to receive a medical degree in the United States. Eventually she won over her fellow students by her intelligence and commitment, but she was shunned by the citizens of Geneva who believed her career choice was very inappropriate” (“ELIZABETH BLACKWELL (1821- 1910) First Female Doctor”). Soon, many people did experience a change of heart with her success. She planned to stay in Philadelphia to study under other colleagues, but soon after receiving her medical degree, traveled to Paris where she found the only opportunity available in any medical practices was to become a midwife. Debra Michals explained “She continued her training at London and Paris hospitals, though doctors there relegated her to midwifery or nursing. She began to emphasize preventative care and personal hygiene, recognizing that male doctors often caused epidemics by failing to wash their hands between patients” (National Women’s History Museum). While working in Paris, she contracted “purulent opthalmia” (inflammation and pus within the eye’s membranes and external structures), while treating children. As a result of this Chance 5 disease, Blackwell ended up losing sight in one eye, which forced her to give up her dream of becoming a surgeon. After she lost her sight, she returned to New York City in 1851. Miss Cellania from “Women in medicine: 5 Firsts in their Nations,” explained, “Despite her pioneering degree, Dr. Blackwell found it difficult to get a job or network with male colleagues back in New York. She applied for jobs, and one as a physician in the women’s department of a large city dispensary, but continued to be refused. After being continuously refused, in 1853, with the help of friends, she opened up her own dispensary or private practice. As her practice grew, her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell, joined her in 1856 and together along with Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, they opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. This institution also included a medical college for women and opened in, and later an infirmary and a medical school for women.” While establishing the New York Infirmary in 1854, Blackwell adopted Katherine “Kitty” Barry, an Irish Orphan, who was only 5 years old. Blackwell provided for Barry’s education but sheltered her and never permitted her to develop her own interests. Barry lived and worked with Blackwell all of her life. Barry also obtained her education. When Blackwell died in 1910, Barry continued in their work until her own death in 1930 and requested her ashes be buried with those of her mother. Blackwell was not only an advocate for women in male-dominated fields but also for equality. Caroline Kee from “8 Women Who Totally Kicked Ass and Made History as Doctors” wrote, “Blackwell was a tireless advocate for improving medical education for women and championed gender equality in medicine. Can we all agree she totally kicked ass?” Chance 6 Even after losing her eye, and facing adversity at every turn, Blackwell still advocated and pursued her dreams for other women by creating her own medical institution for education. She gave women a chance to gain the experience and training they needed to become physicians. Through time, women have continued to prove they can excel in the medical field. According to a study conducted in 2017 by R. Satkunasivam regarding the impact of female doctors, “104,630 patients were treated by 3,314 surgeons, 774 female and 2,540 male. Before matching, patients treated by female doctors were more likely to be female and younger but had similar comorbidity, income, rurality, and year of surgery. After matching, the groups were comparable. Fewer patients treated by female surgeons died, were readmitted to hospital, or had complications within 30 days than those treated by male surgeons. Patients treated by female surgeons were less likely to die within 30 days, but there was no significant difference in readmissions or complications” (“Comparison of postoperative outcomes”) The results of the study showed how female doctors impacted the medical field based on the survival rate of patients and their positive progression after treatment. Blackwell’s dedication in establishing women in the medical field, contributed to this impact and shows her legacy continues. Blackwell, the first woman in America to receive a medical degree, inspired the participation of women in the medical profession. Today there are more women than men entering medical school. A great deal of people argue whether or not women entering medical professions is “Feminisation or equality.” Abi Rimmer, an author and reporter from JSTOR noted, Chance 7 “Jane Dacre, president of the Royal College of Physicians, says that a drop in the number women entering medical school isn’t a cause for concern.
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