Mini Page Heroes: Elizabeth Blackwell
There’s nothing unusual about a female doctor. But not so long ago, a lot of people thought the idea was ridiculous.
Childhood
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in 1821 in Bristol, England. Her family moved to the United States when she was 11. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Even when she was young, Elizabeth was strong-willed and stubborn, not reserved and submissive like girls were expected to be.
Her parents stressed education, and after her father’s death, Elizabeth and her sisters started a school for girls in Cincinnati.
A new path
Young Elizabeth didn’t consider studying medicine until a dying friend planted the seed. Her sick neighbor appreciated the hours that Elizabeth spent taking care of her. “If I could have been treated by a lady doctor, my worst sufferings would have been spared me,” she said. “If only you were a doctor.”
Medical schools at the time were for men only, so Elizabeth spent years preparing with the help of some friendly doctors before she even applied. She was 25 when she began to apply to medical schools. She collected rejection after rejection — a total of 28.
An open door
Then the letter from Geneva Medical College in New York arrived. Acceptance! She was finally on the road to earning her medical degree. Only upon arriving at the college did she learn why she was accepted. It was a joke!
The school’s faculty had not wanted her, but in order to avoid making that decision, they asked the allmale student body to vote. The men voted unanimously for her entry. They figured some other medical school was playing a practical joke. But the joke was on them. The Geneva faculty had to honor the vote, and Elizabeth Blackwell was in.
And she had the last laugh. After the twoyear program was over, in 1849 Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell graduated No. 1 in her class.
Moving women ahead
However, Dr. Blackwell still had to convince patients to allow themselves to be examined by a female doctor. She opened a hospital in 1851 in New York where only women doctors worked. In the 1870s, she taught at the London School of Medicine for Women. She died in 1910 in England.
Helping others
Dr. Blackwell dedicated her life to curing people. What do you know about first aid? Could you help a friend who suddenly was injured? Would you know what simple things to do and not to do?
You can be ready to help a family member or friend by learning CPR, mouthto-mouth resuscitation, the Heimlich maneuver and other first-aid techniques. By staying calm and acting responsibly, you might be able to save a life until emergency workers arrive.
The American Red Cross, scouting groups and youth organizations all provide training. The website for the American Red Cross is redcross.org. This informative site will pinpoint the Red Cross instruction location closest to your home.