Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to WomenBlackwell, Elizabeth
History
Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women
Blackwell, Elizabeth
Blackwell, Elizabeth, 1821-1910; Women physicians -- United States -- Biography
_Monday, 21st._—Left London at seven o’clock. A. turned from
me in tears. I felt very sad as I looked at her thin face
and thought of all she has suffered, and will suffer.... In
the evening I met a cordial welcome at Dudley.... Howy and I
made an expedition to Worcester and Malvern; it gave us an
opportunity for much intimate conversation. We had lovely
weather, and found the country exceedingly beautiful. Rode
up the Worcestershire Beacon on donkeys, eating, talking,
and laughing at our entanglement with other parties, and
enchanted with the prospect; there was a tent on the hill,
and parties dancing. We slid all the way down, and walked
by Gully’s and Wilson’s water-cure establishments. Visited
the noble old Worcester Cathedral, but looked in vain for
our crest of arms, said to be there on the windows. Went
over Grainger’s china manufactory; the production of cups
and saucers on the wheel was like magic....
To Liverpool, but found the ship would not sail until
Saturday. The very sight of it made me sick; so Cousin
S. accompanied me to Manchester, where we had a very
interesting visit. Mr. Wilson, an intelligent business
man, escorted us over a large cotton manufactory. It was
of exceeding interest. Eight hundred looms were at work in
one room; mostly tended by women and many very young girls.
We commenced our inspection by descending by ropes deep
down into the vaults, where the cotton arrives from America
and India; we then proceeded through room after room where
all the processes were conducted, from breaking up the
bales, tearing to pieces, sorting, carding, forming into
sheets, twisting, spinning, weaving, and finally measuring
and folding the cloth. We went up and down, by movable
trap-doors, underground from street to street, all through
the immense establishment. The noise was tremendous, the
dust and heat oppressive. I noticed closely the workwomen,
who seemed brutified by their toil; their physiognomies
were assuming the projecting mouth of the lower animals.
Most of them carried their hair-comb stuck in the back of
their head; they were mostly youngish women, sallow and
perspiring, and I noticed one woman so exhausted that she
was obliged continually to sit down; they had often more
than one loom to feed. They keep the men and women separate
in their work as far as possible....
_Saturday, 26th._—Actually my last day on this noble British
land! I left pale good Cousin S. standing in the street of
Dudley; watched dear H. running up the railway bank as I
rushed off in the train; and then I felt that I was indeed
severed from England, and only anxious to get through my
journey. I found myself at night on board ship, out in the
Mersey. Another most important page in life fairly closed!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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