The first American woman to go to medical school was admitted as a joke. The students at Geneva Medical School thought it was a joke when Elizabeth Blackwell applied to attend in 1847, so they decided to accept her. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1) Both women I will be addressing have overcame great obstacles to reach the level of success that they have achieved. Two women with different stories. One turned to medicine after a friend who was dying suggested she would have lived if her doctor had been a woman. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1) Stern had become very interested in cervical cancer, leading her to devote the rest of her life to studying its causes and developments.(“Elizabeth Stern” 1) Stern actually eventually went on to conduct
…show more content…
Many physicians told her it was a great idea, yet nearly impossible. For one, it was too expensive and education like that wasn’t available to women at the time. She somehow convinced two doctors to let her read medicine with them for a year. She also applied to all the medical schools in New York and Philadelphia. She also applied to twelve more in the northeast states and was accepted to Geneva medical College. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1) The student and faculty were very reluctant for Blackwell to attend Geneva.(“Elizabeth Stern” 1). Her admittance created community uproar because of the prejudices against women at the time. Still, she remained serious to pursue her studies (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2). Elizabeth Stern on the other hand graduated in 1930 from the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto (“Elizabeth Stern Shankman” 4). She changed cervical cancer from fatal to easily diagnosed and treatable. She discovered that a normal cell goes through 250 distinct stages of progression before reaching advanced cervical cancer. Stern was also the first person to report a link between cervical cancer and oral contraceptives (“Elizabeth …show more content…
She eventually earned the respect of several of her peers and wrote her doctoral thesis on typhus fever (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2).She was a leading public health activist in her lifetime. She decided to at first study midwifery in Paris where she contracted “purulent opthalmia” from an infant (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2).This left her blind in one eye. She applied for a job as a physician at the women’s department of a large dispensary but was unfortunately rejected. Then in 1853, Blackwell opened her own dispensary in a single rented room, with the help of some friends. Her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell joined her in 1856 and, with Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, they opened the New York infirmary for Women and children in 1857. This offered a practical solution to women who were being rejected for internships elsewhere but were determined to expand their knowledge as physicians. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1).
Blackwell eventually returned to England and set up a private practice in the late 1860’s. She served as a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for Women Ms. Blackwell also helped establish the U.S Sanitary Commission in 1861 under the auspices of Abraham Lincoln. As Blackwell’s health declined, she gave up medicine in the late 1870’s. She still campaigned for reform until she died in May 31, 1910 (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author”
Many physicians told her it was a great idea, yet nearly impossible. For one, it was too expensive and education like that wasn’t available to women at the time. She somehow convinced two doctors to let her read medicine with them for a year. She also applied to all the medical schools in New York and Philadelphia. She also applied to twelve more in the northeast states and was accepted to Geneva medical College. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1) The student and faculty were very reluctant for Blackwell to attend Geneva.(“Elizabeth Stern” 1). Her admittance created community uproar because of the prejudices against women at the time. Still, she remained serious to pursue her studies (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2). Elizabeth Stern on the other hand graduated in 1930 from the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto (“Elizabeth Stern Shankman” 4). She changed cervical cancer from fatal to easily diagnosed and treatable. She discovered that a normal cell goes through 250 distinct stages of progression before reaching advanced cervical cancer. Stern was also the first person to report a link between cervical cancer and oral contraceptives (“Elizabeth …show more content…
She eventually earned the respect of several of her peers and wrote her doctoral thesis on typhus fever (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2).She was a leading public health activist in her lifetime. She decided to at first study midwifery in Paris where she contracted “purulent opthalmia” from an infant (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author” 2).This left her blind in one eye. She applied for a job as a physician at the women’s department of a large dispensary but was unfortunately rejected. Then in 1853, Blackwell opened her own dispensary in a single rented room, with the help of some friends. Her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell joined her in 1856 and, with Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, they opened the New York infirmary for Women and children in 1857. This offered a practical solution to women who were being rejected for internships elsewhere but were determined to expand their knowledge as physicians. (“Changing the Face of Medicine” 1).
Blackwell eventually returned to England and set up a private practice in the late 1860’s. She served as a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for Women Ms. Blackwell also helped establish the U.S Sanitary Commission in 1861 under the auspices of Abraham Lincoln. As Blackwell’s health declined, she gave up medicine in the late 1870’s. She still campaigned for reform until she died in May 31, 1910 (“Elizabeth Blackwell-Author”