New-York tribune., 1909-06-20
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
FIRST WOMAN MEDICAL STUDENT.
Pathway of Elizabeth Blackwell in Profes-
sional Training Was Far from Smooth.
fne Editnr al The Trlhune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Bishop Doaue's reported remark that 1t Is
uubecorng for a woman he physician recalls
the fact that less than hundred years ago every
body thought So It is only sixty years since Eiz-
abeth Blackwell. the first woman physician. look
her degree Geneva University, now Hohart Cor
lege She had applied in vain for admission 10
twelve medical schools. including all those In Ne"
York City and Philadelphia. Dr. Pankhurst pro
fessor of surgery in the largest such coHege N
Philadelphia, approved Of her purpose, ana oHeleH
70 admit her to his classes but only on conditon
that she would disguise herself as a man. This
she refused 70 do Dr. Warrington. old Quaker
physician Of the same city wrote to her I have
personally applied of the most intelligent
and liberal minded Of acquaintance 70
learn how FAR the services Of we'll educated fe-
male physician would be appreciated by them 1ne
response uniformly Is: No female could h@oome
acceptable to us practitioner Of medicine
The faculty at Geneva did not wish 20 admit her
but 10 escape a direct refusal they reterred he'
application the medical students. with the prom
ise that if single student objected she should not
be allowed to enter. Her request struck the class
as a huge Joke. An uprodrious class meeting was
held st which a series of extravagant Fpeeches
were made and received with deafening applause
and unanimous invitation was extended To the
Young woman. Or stephen Smith, who was
member Of the class, has written:
The class. numbering about ore hundred and fifty
students was composed largely Of young men from from
the neghhorlng towns ,gE o on several occa-
SONS the residents Of the neghhorhood sent written
Rega n5cied e as nuisance If he dsturbancs did
not cease During lectures II wac % ot1en - ~ -or
fusion
, I'M rgsssor she was quite small OF stature
plainly dressed and appeared dfndent and retiring
Her entrance into the bedlam n confusion acte1
like magic on every student Each hurIehIy sotkIi
For the hrst time lecture given without the
sIirhfest irterruntion The sudden transformation
Of fhs class from band Of lswless desperadoes 70
gentlemen by the mere presence o; q Eon'h,
medical students never seen. and ii continued
be so TO the close Of the term
The young woman soon gained the respect of her
professors and fellow students, but by people In
general she was regarded with horror. Women at
her boarding house refused speak TO her: women
passing her on the street held their skirts aside
She graduated in 1s42. at the head Of her class
but when she tried TO practise she had To hry
house because no respectable boarding or lodging
house in New YORK city would take IN woman
doctor.
A few years later she. with her younger sister.
I)r Emily Blackwell. aud Or. Marie Zskrzewska,
started the New York Inhrmary for Women and
Children host Of objections WAS raised to
frighten the brave who had consented to be
come it's trustees They told that on"
would let a house for the purpose; that female
doctors would he looked upon with so much sus-
rcion that the police would interfere; that their
death certificates would not he recognized: that
they would he resorted TO by persons whom Il
would be an Insult TO be called upon TO deal with;
that without men as resident physicians they
would be unable to control the patients: that II
anv accident occurred. not only the medical pro-
fession but the public would blame the trustees
for slIDporting such an undertaking, ard. finally.
that they would never be able 10 collect money for
80 unpopular an effort.
The infrmary. nourishiHg institution had
10 struggle for years with poverty and prejudice.
Fanny Kembe. when asked to give a reading for
its benefit exclaimed in her most tragic tones:
Trust woman as a doctor? Never"
The view OF the world has changed very much
since those days There 1889 women
physicians and surgeons in the United States. and
a discount eous word is seldom spoken Of them
cent by some ULTRA antt-sunragist like Bishop
Doane or Mrs Gilbert f. Jones. who reported
the other day saying that II all the women
physicians In this country wiped out Of
istence they would not leave large a gap
Or. McCosh.
The dormitory Of the college for
affiliated with Hobart has been named the Eliza
beth Blackwell House, and a portrait OF her
presented to il a few days ago by Mrs. Elizabeth
Smith Miller and unveiled with appropriate exer-
cises 1t was a bit of poetical justice that this
should have taken place in Geneva, where the
young woman medical student suffered social os-
tracism sixty years ago.
ALICE STONE BLACKWELL
Dorchester, Mass, June Il, 1909