Pioneer Women in Medicine

Pioneer Women Who Became Doctors
When looking back in both Canadian and American history, one might think that only men were allowed to be doctors.   To a degree, this was true.  It was thought that women were too weak to be doctors and couldn't handle having to know the human anatomy.  Considering that women dealt with their own childbirths and helping to nurse others back to health for generations, it might seem ridiculous that men viewed women as incapable. Unfortunately, women struggled for the right to practice medicine and acceptance into medical school was a major achievement.  This all changed in the middle of the 19th century when three women decided to break the barrier and become the first female doctors in North America.

Jennie Trout and Emily Stowe
Born in 1841, Jenny Kidd grew up on a farm near Stratford in Upper Canada.  She was a quiet child but did very well in school.  When she graduated. she decided to become a school teacher and taught in Stratford until she married Edward Trout in 1865.  Unfortunately, Jenny became ill with a nervous disorder for many years after getting married but eventually improved with a treatment called electrotherapy.  This illness made such an impact on her, she decided to pursue a career in medicine and she was encouraged by her husband to do it.  She was also encouraged by her longtime friend, Emily Stowe, who had been practicing medicine without an official license.  They both decided to go to medical college together.

In the 19th century, wealthy people could afford home care from male doctors so hospitals were mainly designed for the poor and nursing care was provided mostly by nuns.  When regular women volunteered to be nurses, they were treated as servants and were given little respect for what they did.  (It wasn't until the late 19th century when Florence Nightingale successfully fought for the respect of the nursing profession.)  So when Jenny and Emily began to attend lectures, despite the reluctance of the Toronto School of Medicine, they were met with hostility and ridicule.  The women were told that they were not allowed to "make a fuss, whatever happened" by the school as if the establishment knew what was going to happen... and plenty happened.  The lecturers and male students jeered at the women, made lewd remarks and even drew obscene sketches on the walls.

To get an idea of the behaviour the women faced, view this clip from Heritage minutes.

Eventually, Jenny Trout decided to complete her medical education in the United States but returned to Canada in 1875 with a medical degree from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania and passed the examination with the College of Physicians and Surgeons (who complimented Mr. Trout on having "such a talented wife".  She went on to practice medicine until 1882 when her health became bad once again and forced her to retire earlier than expected.  However, she did not fully abandon her passion.  She switched from practicing medicine to establishing a medical college for women in Canada as well as campaigning for women to have the right to sit on the college's board of governors.  In 1883, with a large contribution from her own pocket, Jenny Trout successfully opened up the Women's Medical College in Kingston.  Her efforts helped to open many doors for many women doctors in Canada today.  

Resources:  https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/jennie-trout?media_type=41&media_category=39
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gowanlock_jenny_kidd_15E.html



Elizabeth Blackwell
Born in England in 1821, Elizabeth emigrated to America when she was 11 years old.  Just six years after arriving onto  American soil, her father died.  Not long after his death, Elizabeth opened a school with her mother and sister.  Like the early life of Jenny Trout, Elizabeth became a teacher.  She was not initially interested in medicine but changed her mind when a close friend got very ill and was dying when she told Elizabeth that maybe her greatest suffering might have been different if the doctor was a woman who would have understood her pain better.

Elizabeth decided to have a career in medicine and knew that it was not going to be an easy endeavor.  She seized an opportunity to study with a doctor independently before applying to all of the medical colleges in New York and Pennsylvania. She was finally accepted by Geneva Medical College in 1847.  Her acceptance was a fluke as the faculty - assuming that the all-male student body would never agree to a woman attending the college - allowed the students to vote on her admission.  They thought it was a joke so they voted "yes" (to her benefit).  Her admittance into the college caused an uproar and she was shamed by the college students as well as the public.  However, she was determined to follow through with her decision and it was this determination that eventually earned the respect of her peers.  Elizabeth Blackwell graduated in 1849 and became the first woman to receive an M.D. degree in the United States.

To learn more about Elizabeth Blackwell, click here to watch a short video about this remarkable woman.

Not long after graduation, Elizabeth found herself in Paris and London working in the clinics there.  She studying midwifery while in Paris and contracted "purulent opthalmia" (an inflammation of the eye) which caused her to lose sight in one eye.  She returned to New York in 1851 and gave up her dream to be a surgeon.  She struggled for a couple of years after returning to New York City until she was finally able to open her own dispensary in a single rented room with the help of a few friends where she was able to treat patients three times a week.  Eventually, the dispensary was moved to a small house and her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell, joined her in 1856 with another female doctor by the name of Dr. Marie Zakrzewska.  In 1857, all three women opened up the New York Infirmary for Women and Children (and later a medical college for women) in order to provide an institution where women doctors could train and gain experience in the field as well as provide medical treatment to the poor.  Part of the education they received was about the importance of maintaining proper sanitary conditions for good health.  

It was not long after completing her vision at the New York Infirmary, Elizabeth returned to England to set up a private practice in London and become a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for Women.  In 1877, she retired from medicine and moved to Hastings where she lived until her death in 1910.

Resources:  http://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-blackwell-9214198#profile
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_35.html