The second woman to earn a medical degree at Case Western Reserve University, Emily Blackwell transformed early female medical education through persistent institutional building. Born in Bristol, England, in 1826, she eventually established a legacy of clinical training and patient care that fundamentally altered the professional landscape for women in the United States.
Medical Education and Early Obstacles
Blackwell faced significant resistance during her academic training. After being rejected by several institutions, she was accepted at Rush Medical College in 1853, but the Illinois Medical Society revoked her admission due to complaints from male students. She ultimately graduated from the Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, the medical branch of Western Reserve University, in 1854. Following her graduation, she pursued advanced clinical studies in Edinburgh under Sir James Young Simpson, and furthered her training in London, Paris, Berlin, and Dresden.
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Take the IQ test →The New York Infirmary and Institutional Growth
In 1857, Blackwell co-founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children alongside her sister Elizabeth and Marie Zakrzewska. She took full responsibility for the institution’s management, surgery, nursing, and financial operations. By 1874, the infirmary served more than 7,000 patients annually. She successfully secured state legislative funding to ensure long-term stability, expanding the facility from a small house into a permanent hospital structure.
Wartime Service and Academic Leadership
During the American Civil War, Blackwell helped form the Women's Central Association of Relief to train nurses and distribute essential supplies. Her efforts contributed to the development of the United States Sanitary Commission. In 1868, she co-founded the Women's Medical College in New York City, where she served as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Upon her sister’s departure for London in 1869, Blackwell became dean of the college, overseeing its growth into a four-year institution that trained 364 physicians by 1899.
Retirement and Later Life
Blackwell retired in 1900, having spent the final decades of her life focused on societal reforms. She lived with physician Elizabeth Cushier and adopted a daughter named Nanny. Following a period of extensive travel through Europe and California, Blackwell resided in Montclair, New Jersey, and York Cliffs, Maine. She died of enterocolitis on September 7, 1910, in York Cliffs and was buried at Chilmark Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1826, Bristol
- Died: 1910, York Cliffs
- Degree: Doctor of Medicine, 1854
- Buried: Chilmark Cemetery
- Awards: National Women's Hall of Fame (1993)
- Citizenship: United States
Questions readers ask
What medical institutions did Emily Blackwell help establish?
She helped start the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children and the Women's Medical College in New York City.
What was her role during the American Civil War?
She helped organize the Women's Central Association of Relief and assisted in the development of the United States Sanitary Commission.
