“If society will not admit of woman’s free development, then society must be remodeled” By: Emily Durette

Birth Date: February 3, 1821 Birth Place: Bristol, England Marital Status: Never married Offspring: Wanted to have a family, so she adopted an Irish orphan named Kitty Barry. Date of Death: May 31, 1910 Burial Place: In the small village of Kilmun.

Elizabeth Blackwell, M.D. has made a huge impact on society. Ms. Blackwell was the first woman doctor ever! If it wasn’t for her, we still might not have female doctors in this world. Elizabeth Blackwell showed the world to never give up and to chase after your dreams. She sets a good example to people throughout the nation; Not only because she was the first female doctor, but also because she showed her bravery and kept courageous throughout the whole process of becoming a doctor.

 Elizabeth was a different type of child. She enjoyed challenging herself to find out how strong she could be. Even as a child, Elizabeth was very determined.  Ms. Blackwell was born after the death of two other children. She had three younger brothers: Samuel, Henry, and Howard. She also had two sisters: Emily and Sarah Ellen.  Different than other girls, the Blackwell daughters learned as children, rather than waiting for a husband to marry.  Mr. Blackwell owned a sugar refinery in England, and after it burnt down, the family left for New York in May of A picture of the Blackwell Family.

 Elizabeth could never make up her mind on what she wanted to be when she grew up, unlike her sisters. She wanted to do something no other woman had done.  The Blackwell’s moved often to find cheaper houses, but in 1837, they moved to the furthest they had ever moved; Into Cincinnati, Ohio.  A couple of weeks after moving into their new house, Mr. Blackwell became very sick and passed away.  After the death of Mr. Blackwell, Elizabeth, Emily, and Sarah Ellen decided to open up a day school in their house. Although none of them wished to be teachers when they grew up, they needed to do this to help gain money for the family.

o Elizabeth went to Henderson, Kentucky to teach. She then went to North and South Carolina to teach as well. o In 1847 she began looking for a medical school that would admit her for school. She was rejected by tons of schools, until she got an acceptance letter from Geneva Medical School in New York. o In January 1849, Elizabeth graduated first in her class, becoming the first woman graduate from medical school! o While training at La Maternile in Paris, Elizabeth suffered such a bad eye infection that she became blind in one eye.

o 1851: Returned to New York where she began to see and treat women and children in her home o 1853: Opened an infirmary in New York City. o 1854: Adopted an Irish orphan, Katherine Barry. o 1857: The Blackwell sisters and Dr. Zalerzewska made their infirmary into the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. o 1868: Elizabeth and Florence Nightingale co-opened the Women’s Medical College at the infirmary. o 1875: Elizabeth gets appointed professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine.

☺ Went on a year long tour in Great Britain for lectures. ☺ Became the first woman to have her name on the British medical register in ☺ Helped organize the Women’s Central Association of Relief. ☺ Also helped organize the National Health Society. ☺ In 1907, Dr. Blackwell retired after a long journey of medical adventures. ☺ There is now a special statue of Elizabeth Blackwell at Geneva Medical College (now Hobert and William Smith College).

On May 31, 1910, at the time of Elizabeth’s death, there were already 7,399 women doctors in America! Today, about half of the students attending medical school are women. Just think…if it weren’t for Elizabeth Blackwell, today we still might not have women physicians!

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in the year of 1821 in England. In that year, the King of England was King George IV and the President of the United States was James Monroe. King George IV- After the death of his father in 1820, he became the King of England. He served as King until 1830, when he died. James Monroe- He was the fifth President of the United States. He served in office for eight years. King George IVJames Monroe

If I were able to ask Dr. Blackwell three questions, they would be: ☼ How did you keep strong even when you kept getting declined from colleges? ☼ How did you know you wanted to be a doctor since there were no other women doctors around at that time. ☼ What was your favorite part of being a doctor, and what was your least favorite part?

Baker, Rachel. The First Woman Doctor. New York: Simon & Schuster, Print. Robbins, Trina. Elizabeth Blackwell: America's First Woman Doctor. Mankato: Capstone, Print. Steinbach, Nancy. Elizabeth Blackwell. Digital image. VOA Special English. Web. 3 May Elizabeth Blackwell and Her Daughter, Kitty. Digital image. Photo Gallery. Web. 3 May A syringe. Digital image. Minnesota Pharmacy Syringe/Needle Access Initiative. Minnesota Department of Health. Web. 4 May Elizabeth With Family. Digital image. Woman Warriors. Web. 2 May Elizabeth Blackwell. Digital image. Women- Civil War Talk. Web. 5 May Stethoscope Doctor Medical. Digital image. Free Clip Art. Web. 5 May OCAL. Stethoscope. Digital image. Stethoscope Clip Art. Web. 5 May Megan. James Monroe. Digital image. Megan's Blog. Web. 6 May Elizabeth Blackwell. Digital image. Interviews With Famous Women. Web. 6 May Lawrence, Sir Thomas. George IV. Digital image. National Galleries of Scotland. Web. 6 May