Happy 200th birthday to Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman in America to receive a medical degree
A thread:
#OTD #histmed #womenphysiciansday #WomenInMedicine #medhum #ElizabethBlackwell

If you’ve met Elizabeth Blackwell, it was probably in a children’s book. There’s always a well-dressed young woman and a stethoscope.

But Elizabeth Blackwell wasn't interested in fashion. And in 1849, when she received her M.D., stethoscopes looked like this.

Blackwell wasn’t particularly drawn to science or healing. She chose medicine to make a point about what women could do.

She received her degree from Geneva College, which has since evolved into @HWSColleges. The students thought her application was a practical joke. She graduated at the top of the class.

Blackwell went to Paris and trained at La Maternite, a public hospital housed in a convent that still stands. (I went to visit.) There she suffered an illness resulting in the loss of one eye. It didn't stop her.

She recruited her younger sister Emily to follow her into medicine. Emily eventually became the more dedicated practitioner, though Elizabeth's fame eclipsed her sister's accomplishments.

The Blackwell sisters founded the NY Infirmary for Indigent Women & Children. Its original location is in Greenwich Village, and @GVSHP has installed a plaque.

Later, the Blackwells opened their Women’s Medical College, with a more rigorous curriculum than existing schools for men.

The in-laws were pioneers too. Two Blackwell brothers married prominent feminists, Lucy Stone & Antoinette Brown. Elizabeth disagreed with them about suffrage.

If you google Elizabeth Blackwell, this photo comes up every time. It’s not her. People like heroines to be young and adorable.

Elizabeth Blackwell changed the world, but her ideas don't align easily with modern feminism. She wasn't always admirable. That’s what makes her interesting.

Happy 200th birthday, Elizabeth. With awe for your heroic achievement, and in recognition of all the ways you were human, too