Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH (submitted for publication)

Women in Medicine: Elizabeth Blackwell MD, America’s first

America has a litany of exceptional women who helped shape the nation’s course. The National Women’s Hall of fame is posted on the internet (www.greatwomen.org). Reviewing this list is a heartwarming experience; in fact, a spiritual one. In common, they were women who worked to overcome discrimination and succeeded in the fulfillment of their ambitions. However, the “glass ceiling” still exists and affects many career options.

It took medical schools 80 years to admit a woman for studies. The door opened slowly, well into the 20^th Century. Fortunately, now women have established their role as doctors and most of those barriers have fallen. In 2007 women represented 48.3% of the incoming medical student body. However there are still issues of equity with academic appointments and residency selection.

This issue of the Florida Medical Association Magazine focuses on women in medicine and I am pleased to be able to comment on our first American trained lady Doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell. I must also draw attention to the continuous issues that remain in American society promoting racism and discrimination. As a nation we must work to end the biases that undermine equity in our American way of life.

The courageous Elizabeth Blackwell decided to become a physician and overcame enormous barriers. She was born in England in1821 but financial reverses brought the family to America. Her father believed men and women should have the opportunity for an equal education. Initially a teacher, Elizabeth found that work unfulfilling and decided to pursue medical studies and became America’s first female Medical student.

Rejected from 29 medical schools she finally found a place at the small Geneva Medical College in New York. The circumstances surrounding her acceptance involve an admissions committee that considered her work as equal to other applicants and put her acceptance to a vote by the student body. Students, thinking the request an administration hoax, voted unanimously to accept her. When she arrived for classes, students and professors were shocked and encouraged her to leave – she stayed.

Initially ridiculed, she graduated at the top of her class. Her acceptance as a practicing physician was another matter. She went to Paris for further studies and found barriers there as daunting as in America. She returned to America. Unable to secure an appointment, she opened a clinic for the poor in New York and established the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children that to this day serves the public. At this facility she also established The Medical College for Women where she trained her sisters who carried on her work after she left the country again in 1869.

She returned to England and there with Florence Nightingale opened another Women’s Medical College where she taught Gynecology until her retirement. She then authored several books and advocated for women’s rights. In 1910, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell died at 89 years of age.

Along side Dr. Blackwell in the National Women’s Hall of Fame are others in and out of the field of medicine: Clara Barton who late in life was able to see her dream with the establishment of the American Red Cross; Susan B. Anthony who paved the way for women’s right to vote; Rachel Carson, a zoologist who wrote the classic, Silent Spring and The Sea Around Us, catalysts for today’s environmental movement.

Other accomplished women include, Dorothy Dix who advocated for the mentally ill; Gertrude Belle Elion, who spent a lifetime developing drugs against Leukemia; Alice Hamilton, a physician pathologist that forced safety regulations in the workplace; Mary Jacoby who founded the Association for the Advancement of Medical Education for Women; Antonio Novello, the first woman U.S. Surgeon General, who used her position to address the worldwide suffering of women and children. I recall the efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt, who advocated for social reform and continued her many efforts after FDR died. I would describe her as the first visible and active First Lady who established a standard of service for other women to follow.

Other outstanding women include, Harriet Tubman who became known as Moses during the civil war relating to her efforts to free slaves; Florence Wald, the Dean of Nursing at Yale, and the founder of the Hospice Movement in America; Mary Walker MD, who crossed the lines in the Civil War to treat civilians; she was captured and imprisoned. She became the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, it was later recalled and then given back; Rosalyn Yalow, the first American physician to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine; and many others are recognized.

Men and women who practice medicine are typically highly intelligent, committed, empathetic, independent, and downright troublesome at times. Although battering the profession from a number of quarters seems to be the fashion, today’s courageous men and women practicing medicine continue in a difficult environment to relieve pain and suffering.

We must continue to fully open the door for capable women challenging the political and corporate sectors, and yes the medical establishment. One courageous woman may well advocate successfully for health care equity and coverage. Her efforts could better our profession and benefit the country we serve. I am reminded of Ben-Gurion’s quote when asked why he supported Israel’s Golda Meir. He said, without hesitation, “She is the only man in my cabinet.”

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