Nancy Joplin
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Nancy
Ontario
California
USA
181 Posts
Posted - May 03 2022 : 3:32:00 PM
Working on the Expert level of the Herstory merit badge has been interesting. I chose Elizabeth Blackwell as my woman of the 1800s. She is an interesting character indeed! She is famous for being the first woman doctor in the United States and also the first woman doctor on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council in Great Britain. No small fete! She was denied entrance to many colleges in the United States. She was finally able to gain acceptance to Geneva College in Pennsylvania where she was forced to sit alone and was often kept out of labs. She was shunned by the townspeople for going outside of the gender roles that were so strictly enforced during the time. In spite of everything that she had to endure, she graduated first in her class in 1849. Elizabeth went to Europe for further training. Upon her return to the US, she and her sister trained nurses for work in the Union hospitals during the Civil War. Elizabeth Blackwell was a good friend of Florence Nightingale. She established a hospital to treat poor women. She emphasized personal hygiene and preventative care, working with Sanitary Commissions in the US. I read her book, "Biography: Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women". It contained firsthand accounts of her life and letters that she had written to friends and family documenting her work and trials of gaining acceptance in the Medical Community.
MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6699 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6699 Posts
Posted - May 04 2022 : 11:41:51 AM
Wow! She sounds like an amazing woman! I’m glad she didn’t give up and helped pave the way for many other women in the medical field. Great work Nancy.
Krista
Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6525 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6525 Posts
Posted - May 06 2022 : 12:09:21 PM
Nancy, I am fascinated by Elizabeth Blackwell. I never knew anything about her and she sounds like an extraordinary woman for her time. I am going to look up the book you used and see if I can get a copy to read as well.
Winnie #3109 Red Tractor Girl Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015 FGOTM- October 2018
Nancy Joplin
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Nancy
Ontario
California
USA
181 Posts
Posted - May 13 2022 : 12:28:28 PM
Winnie
I got the book on Amazon. They are printed as they are ordered. . .a really cool way to avoid over or under printing an item!
Herstory - Elizabeth Blackwell
Posted - May 03 2022 : 3:32:00 PM
