Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell in her old agehttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-blackwell 

In the 1850s, a woman going to medical school was the punch line of a practical joke. But when Elizabeth Blackwell got accepted to medical school after being rejected from 19 other schools, the joke was finally over. Elizabeth Blackwell was born in 1821 in Bristol, England as the third of nine children to Samuel and Hannah Blackwell. Blackwell’s parents were strong methodists and advocates for social reform and equal rights for women. Blackwell and her sisters were all given the same exact education as her four brothers. Blackwell then grew up to be an independent and determined women. Heroes come in many different ways, there are many different attributes that make up a hero. Many heroes might be saving lives and risking their lives for others, but heroes can also be role models for many people and face the difficulties of pioneering something that was thought would never happen. Elizabeth Blackwell was just that. Blackwell became a pioneer in medicine in 1849 by being the first woman to graduate medical school and later open the first medical school for women. She was filled to the brim with the will and determination to become an inspiration to other women, thus making her a hero.

Elizabeth Blackwell's medical degree from Geneva Collegehttps://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/item/geneva-medical-college-diploma-elizabeth-blackwell-1849

Elizabeth Blackwell had the will to break down the barriers of sexism. When Blackwell decided that she was going to go to medical school, she knew that many obstacles would be in her way; especially men who believed that women couldn’t be as good as doctors as men. “While Blackwell was well aware that the path before her was full of obstacles, she felt it would be a moral victory for women everywhere if she succeeded in becoming a physician-and she was determined to succeed” (Contemporary Heroes 9). Blackwell had it in her mind that what she was planning to do would benefit so many young women, not just her. She knew the path she was about to go down would be very difficult, but she persevered because she knew that taking the harsh words and harassment from male doctors would make it so many other women would not have to experience the same hatred, harassment and sexism. Once Blackwell had secured her medical degree, she went on to achieve many more victories for aspiring female doctors. “In 1853 Blackwell began her battle to establish a dispensary and hospital where women physicians could obtain clinical experience while serving the poor. Her sister Emily and Dr. Maria Zakrzewska soon joined her. The New York Infirmary for Women and Children was a pioneering effort and the first time a hospital was conducted entirely by women. The hospital was needed because female medical graduates were denied essential hospital experience and instruction. In 1868 the Infirmary established a medical school for women” (Science and Its Times 6). In the 1800s, women were excluded from medical schools and many hospitals, rendering them unable to complete the necessary training and instruction to achieve their goal. But when Blackwell opened the New York Infirmary, she successfully provided a place where women could complete their training, get instruction, and many other things. Blackwell staffed the New York Infirmary carefully to make sure that only women worked there in order to prove that women were fully capable of completely equivalent tasks as men. As a result, she disproved sexist beliefs and helped many underprivileged people in the process. Overall, Elizabeth Blackwell’s sheer will helped her to complete many tasks that were thought to be impossible to advocate for women’s rights.

List of female doctors, including Elizabeth Blackwell, at the New York Infirmaryhttps://lifeandlegacyofelizabethblackwell.weebly.com/ny-infirmary-and-medical-school.htmlElizabeth Blackwell was determined to pursue her many goals in life. While applying to medical schools, Blackwell applied to numerous medical schools who all denied her application, purely because she was a women. After 19 failed applications, she was finally accepted into New York’s Geneva College, “In 1847, she sent out more than two dozen applications and met with rejection from administrators who regarded her with amusement, derision, or both. Therefore Blackwell could hardly believe it when she was accepted at Geneva College. What she did not know was that the administration had been opposed to admitting her but hesitated turning her down for fear of offending a prominent Philadelphia doctor who had written her a letter of recommendation. They left the decision to the students instead, figuring the young men would certainly say no. But as a joke, the students unanimously voted in favor of allowing her to enroll. Thus, in November 1847, Blackwell became the first female medical student in U.S. history” (Contemporary Heroes 10). Most people would have given up after being rejected from over a dozen of schools, but she was determined to go to medical school, even if she was only accepted as a joke. She was determined to prove that she belonged there just as much as anyone else. In turn, Blackwell proved to many people that they could make the same stand. Years after getting her medical degree, Blackwell decided that she wanted to open her own practice where women could get the same opportunities that she fought for. She found that doing this was a grueling task. “Arriving back in the United States in 1851, Elizabeth started her medical practice in New York City. The disdain for a woman physician was so great she couldn't even rent a room in a respectable boarding house. One landlady told her that if she rented a room to a female doctor, a mob might wreck her place. Thus, Doctor Blackwell was forced to borrow money so she could buy a house. She used her home as her medical office, but had few patients. She was frustrated but not discouraged. With few patients to treat, and plenty of time on her hands, she volunteered to speak on medical subjects to women's groups. She gave a series of lectures to a group of Quaker women on the importance of proper hygiene, exercise, and nutrition. Delivering those lectures changed her life. The Quaker women were impressed with Dr. Blackwell. They promised to raise the necessary funds, if she would open a clinic to help residents of one of New York City's worst slums. She agreed to do it” (Bauman 14-16). Blackwell never gave up on opening her own medical office, even when she got few patients. She kept pushing and hoping for the best, and then the opportunity of her lifetime finally arrived, so she jumped at it. She was determined to not give up, and she eventually helped many poor people get necessary medical care, and she gave women a safe place to practice medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell was never discouraged by any of the various setbacks and obstacles thrown her way. She had so much determination that practically no one could stop her from doing what she wanted to do, thus providing a role model and hero to many people facing similar obstacles or discrimination.

Elizabeth Blackwell had amazing will and determination that drove her to become the inspiration that she was to many women, therefore making her a hero. Blackwell faced a number of hardships to accomplish difficult tasks for women in her time period and forever change the face of medicine. Blackwell opened doors for women back then, and without her actions, women might have never taken the stand that she pushed for in medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell was also an inspiration to those who aren't interested in medicine, because her determination proved that one can do anything even if hundreds of people are saying “no.”