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
For the next few hours, before I left by train, my room was
thronged by visitors. I was glad of the sudden conversion
thus shown, but my past experience had given me a useful
and permanent lesson at the outset of life as to the very
shallow nature of popularity.
The following letter, written by a younger brother who came to be
with me on this important occasion, gives some interesting as well
as amusing details of the event:—
Geneva: January 23, 1849.
BELOVED RELATIONS.—The important crisis is past, the great
occasion over, the object of so much and so justifiable
anticipation has been attained, and proud as I always
feel of the Blackwells, my familism never seemed to me so
reasonable and so perfectly a matter of course as it did this
morning, when, having escorted E. into the crowded church
and taken my seat beside her, we learned from the music
that the graduating class, headed by the dean, trustees,
faculty, &c., were marching in solemn conclave into the
aisle. I found E. well and in good spirits, as you may
suppose. Monday morning E. and I went to the college, where
she underwent a second examination, as did also the other
members of the graduating class, from the curators of the
university, no others but themselves, the class, and the
faculty being admitted. From this, as from the former one,
our Sis came off with flying colours and the reputation of
being altogether the leader of the class. In the afternoon
they were successively called upon to read from their
theses, and to this I was admitted; but Elizabeth’s being
in Buffalo to be printed, she could not be called upon.
The Professor and students all seem to feel most kindly
and warmly friendly. While I sat by the stove on Monday
morning at the college whilst the graduating class were
undergoing their examination below, the other students,
scarcely any of them being acquainted with my personality,
conversed freely about matters and things, and of course
about Elizabeth. ‘Well, boys,’ one would say, ‘our Elib.
feels first-rate this morning. Do you notice how pleased
she looks?’ ‘Yes, indeed,’ replied another, ‘and I think
she well may after the examination she passed yesterday.’
‘So Lizzie will get her diploma after all,’ said a third.
‘If any member of the class gets one, _she_ is sure of
it,’ said a fourth. Then all agreed that ‘our Elib.’ was ‘a
great girl,’ and in short I found that she was a universal
favourite with both professors and students. Nothing could
be more cordial than the former are, and several are very
gentlemanly and intelligent men indeed, and I formed some
pleasant acquaintances among them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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