Transcriber’s Note In this text version of “Medical Women”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ and words in small capitals are shown in UPPER CASE. Footnotes have been moved to end of each essay. Variant spelling and inconsistent hyphenation are retained. A very few changes have been made to punctuation for consistency. Other changes are listed at the end of the book. MEDICAL WOMEN Two Essays BY SOPHIA JEX-BLAKE. I. Medicine as a Profession for Women. II. Medical Education of Women. EDINBURGH: WILLIAM OLIPHANT & Co., 57 FREDERICK STREET. LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, & Co. 1872. [_All Rights Reserved._] JOHN LINDSAY, PRINTER, 104 HIGH STREET, EDINBURGH. Dedicated TO DR LUCY SEWALL, FROM WHOSE DAILY LIFE I FIRST LEARNED WHAT INCALCULABLE BLESSINGS MAY BE CONFERRED ON THE SICK AND SUFFERING OF HER OWN SEX BY A NOBLE AND PURE-MINDED WOMAN WHO IS ALSO A THOROUGHLY SCIENTIFIC PHYSICIAN. I. Medicine as a Profession for Women. REPRINTED, WITH LARGE ADDITIONS, FROM “WOMAN’S WORK AND WOMAN’S CULTURE.” “We deny the right of any portion of the species to decide for another portion, or any individual for another individual, what is and what is not their ‘proper sphere.’ The proper sphere for all human beings is the largest and highest which they are able to attain to. What this is cannot be ascertained without complete liberty of choice.”--Mrs J. S. MILL. MEDICINE AS A PROFESSION FOR WOMEN. “The universe shall henceforth speak for you And witness, She who did this thing, was born To do it; claims her license in her work. And so with more works. Whoso cures the plague, Though twice a woman, shall be called a leech.” “_Aurora Leigh._” It is a very comfortable faith to hold that “whatever is, is best,” not only in the dispensations of Providence, but in the social order of daily life; but it is a faith which is perhaps best preserved by careful avoidance of too much inquiry into facts. The theory, if applied to past as well as to present times, would involve us in some startling contradictions, for there is hardly any act, habit, or custom which has not been held meritorious and commendable in one state of society, and detestable and evil in some other. If we believe that there are eternal principles of right and wrong, wisdom and equity, far above and greater than the “public opinion” of any one age or country, we must acknowledge the absolute obligation of inquiring, whenever matters of importance are at stake, on what grounds the popular opinions rest, and how far they are the result of habit, custom, and prejudice, or the real outgrowth of deep convictions and beliefs inherent in the most sacred recesses of human nature. While the latter command ever our deepest reverence, as the true “vox populi, vox Dei,” nothing can be more superficial, frivolous, and fallacious than the former.