Elizabeth Blackwell
(1821-1910)
Elizabeth Blackwell is described as a stubborn and persistent woman. Perhaps it is these two distinct traits that pushed her to accomplish her many successes within the realm of women’s liberation and the medical field. Mrs. Blackwell or should I say Dr. Blackwell was the first women to become a Doctor of Medicine within the United States (Smith).
The thought of becoming a Doctor had never crossed her mind until she went to visit a dying friend whom made the comment that if her doctor was a woman she could have been saved (Joyner). It was this moment that she realized someone had to step forward and she made that someone herself. No female had ever been accepted into an American Medical Program, she knew it would be a struggling goal. She applied to 19 universities and was denied by all. The faculty at Geneva College decided to allow their all male anatomy class vote on weather to accept Mrs. Blackwell. Professor Webster sated that they thought it would be fun to see the men’s reaction; every male voted “Aye” as a joke (Smith).
During the two-year medical program she faced many struggles. During an internship she was not allowed to have the title of “intern” as the men were. She was sabotaged during her intern ship by male doctors who would neglect diagnosis cards for her patients in an attempt to shake her confidence (Joyner). She battled through the program and received her degree in 1849. As a new doctor she now faced the task of finding another internship, her teachers suggested she should attempt to pass as a male; she refused! Dr. Blackwell landed an internship in Paris; the only speculation was that she could not use the title of doctor just because she was female.
Dr. Blackwell serves as an important symbol of the barriers women have overcome and the barriers that still remain. She cracked the biggest glass ceiling in history.
Works Cited
Joyner, Laura. "Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell: Determination Helped Her Break Medical Barriers for Women." Investor's Business Daily 10 August 1999, n. pag. Print.
Retrieved from: www.hws.edu/about/black-well/artic;es
Smith, Dean. "A Persistent Rebel"." American History Illustrated January 1981, n. pag. Print.
Retrieved from: www.hws.edu/about/black-well/articles/amhistory.asp&xgt
I love how you used the word stubborn to describe Elizabeth. Today that word is always used to connotatively describe women. I however, see it as a wonderful attribute that women are portrayed as. Had Elizabeth Blackwell not been so stubborn, she might have not paved the way for so many other young women who aspire to be doctors. I so happy to know that she refused dressing like a male to be accepted by all of her colleagues that she was equally as smart and important as.
ReplyDeleteLaRissa Robertson
I think it is amazing that even though she was ridiculed and seen as a joke she achieved her goal. I believe it is important for all women to understand that they should not back down from something even if someone tries to stand in their way. I feel Elizabeth is an inspiration to women who are studying in the medical field, and it should be important to them to know how far women have come just to be able to get into college and study in the medical field.
ReplyDeleteLyndie Whiting
Judging by her picture, she looks like someone who I wouldn't want to make mad. I can only imagine how stubborn and persistent she must have been. Maybe she wasn't stubborn, she just had a dream of a medical career and she didn't want to settle for anything less. I think that is is great that we have come so far in the medical field today. Women are everywhere. I can't believe that even after she graduated with her medical degree, they wouldn't call her a Doctor just because she was a woman. Good post!
ReplyDelete~Melynie Northcott