Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
A NOVEL CIRCUMSTANCE.--Our readers will perhaps remember that
some time ago a lady, Miss Elizabeth Blackwell, applied for
admission as a student in one of the medical colleges of
Philadelphia, her purpose being to go through an entire course of
the study of medicine. The application was denied, and the lady
subsequently entered the Geneva Medical College, where, at the
Annual Commencement on the 23d instant, she graduated with high
honors and received the degree of M.D., the subject of her thesis
being "ship fever." On receiving her diploma she thus addressed
the President: "With the help of the Most High, it shall be the
effort of my life to shed honor on this diploma." Professor Lee,
who delivered the customary oration, complimented the lady by
saying that she had won the distinction of her class by attending
faithfully to every duty required of candidates striving for the
honor. Eighteen young gentlemen received the degree of M.D. at
the same time.
After graduating with high honors in this country, Dr. Elizabeth
Blackwell went to France to secure still higher advantages of
education than could be found here. What was thought of her there will
be seen by the following letter of a Paris correspondent in the New
York _Journal of Commerce_:
AN AMERICAN DOCTRESS.--The medical community of Paris is all agog
by the arrival of the celebrated American doctor, Miss Blackwell.
She has quite bewildered the learned faculty by her diploma, all
in due form, authorizing her to dose and bleed and amputate with
the best of them. Some of them think Miss Blackwell must be a
socialist of the most rabid class, and that her undertaking is
the entering wedge to a systematic attack on society by the whole
sex. Others, who have seen her, say that there is nothing very
alarming in her manner; that, on the contrary, she is modest and
unassuming, and talks reasonably on other subjects. The ladies
attack her in turn. One said to me a few days since, "Oh, it is
too horrid! I'm sure I never could touch her hand! Only to think
that those long fingers of hers had been cutting up dead people."
I have seen the doctor in question, and must say in fairness,
that her appearance is quite prepossessing. She is young, and
rather good-looking; her manner indicates great energy of
character, and she seems to have entered on her singular career
from motives of duty, and encouraged by respectable ladies of
Cincinnati. After about ten days' hesitation, on the part of the
directors of the Hospital of Maternity, she has at last received
permission to enter the institution as a pupil.
* * * * *
ERNESTINE L. ROSE.
BY L. E. BARNARD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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