Elizabeth Blackwell
| Elizabeth Blackwell, M.D. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
3 February 1821 Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 31 May 1910 (aged 89) Hastings, Sussex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | British and American |
| Alma mater | Geneva Medical College |
| Occupation | |
Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 1821 – 31 May 1910) was a British-born physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, as well as the first woman on the UK Medical Register. She was the first woman to graduate from medical school, a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine in the United States, and a social and moral reformer in both the United States and in the United Kingdom. Her sister Emily was the third woman in the US to get a medical degree.
Elizabeth was born in a house on Dicksons Street in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, to Samuel Blackwell, a sugar refiner, and his wife Hannah (Lane) Blackwell. She had two older siblings, Anna and Marian, and would eventually have six younger siblings: Samuel (married Antoinette Brown), Henry (married Lucy Stone), Emily (third woman in the U.S. to get a medical degree), Sarah Ellen (a writer), John and George. Four maiden aunts, Barbara, Ann, Lucy and Mary, also lived with the Blackwells during Blackwell's childhood. Blackwell's earliest memories were of her time living at a house on 1 Wilson Street, off Portland Square, Bristol.
Her childhood at Wilson Street was a happy one. Blackwell especially remembered the positive and loving influence of her father. Samuel Blackwell was somewhat liberal in his attitudes towards, not only child rearing, but also religion and social ideologies. For example, rather than beating his children for bad behavior, Barbara Blackwell recorded their trespasses in a black book. If the offences accumulated, the children might be exiled to the attic during dinner. However, Blackwell's father was by no means lax in the education of his children. Samuel Blackwell was a Congregationalist, and exerted a strong influence over the religious and practical education of his children. He believed that each child, including his girls, should be given the opportunity for unlimited development of their talents and gifts. Blackwell had not only a governess, but also private tutors to supplement her intellectual development. As a result, she was rather socially isolated from all but her family as she grew up.
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