The History of Women in Medicine: Early Women Physicians in Hawaii

Introduction

Elizabeth Blackwell is well known as the first woman to graduate from medical school in 1849. The determination and hard work necessary to prevail in what was a male-only occupation demonstrated by Dr. Blackwell and the other early women physicians, needs to be acknowledged. While women worked as midwives and healers, their entry into the rarified world of "physician" was barred. With the advent of forceps in the middle of the 18th century, the dominance of women's participation, even in childbirth, began to wane.

Male Doctors Offer Opinions

The path forged by the pioneer women doctors was not straightforward. After Dr. Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College, women were denied admission. In other cases, the medical schools withdrew their admission offers, or the women left school due to the male students' and professors' lack of acceptance. Upon graduation the women were unable to find internship and residency positions.

"The primary requisite of a good surgeon is to be a man - a man of courage...." - Edmund Andrews, 1861.

Higher education for women produces "monstrous brains and puny bodies; abnormally active cerebration and abnormally weak digestion; flowing thought and constipated bowel." - E.H. Clarke in Sex Education: A Fair Chance for Girls, 1873.

"It is not fitting for women to know about themselves, it makes them nervous!" (Send Us a Lady Physician, p. 108).

"For a medical man to be connected at that time with the Women's Medical College (Pennsylvania) required pluck." - Dr. Henry Hartshorne, 1870's.

Medical Colleges for Women

To cope with these obstacles, the women physicians and their male supporters founded women's medical colleges to educate the female students, and hospitals for women and children to provide intern and resident opportunities.

A total of 19 medical schools for women were founded. The "regular," non-sectarian colleges/schools included:

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania: 1850 to present
New England Female Medical College: 1856-1873
Woman's College of the New York Infirmary: 1865-1899
Woman's Medical College of Chicago: 1870-1902
Woman's Medical College of Baltimore: 1892-1909

By 1895, 11 of the schools disbanded. Only three survived into the 20th century. The school closings were partly due to financial constraints, but there was also a desire for co-educational training.

There are far too many women who helped break down the walls of intolerance to include them all here. This exhibit is merely a sample of the courageous women who demanded to pursue the career of their choosing.

Firsts: Major Events in the History of Women Physicians

The Blackwell Sisters and Mary Putnam Jacobi

African American Women in Medicine

Women in Hawaii

Bibliography of Resources

To find out more about women in medicine, explore the National Library of Medicine's online exhibit, Changing the Face of Medicine.