The Excellent Doctor Blackwell, Julia Boyd
The Excellent Doctor Blackwell, Julia Boyd
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Excellent Doctor Blackwell
The Life of the First Woman Physician

Author: Julia Boyd

Narrator: Corrie James

Unabridged: 13 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/25/2022


Synopsis

When British-born Elizabeth Blackwell earned her medical degree in America in 1849 there was an international outcry. Few at the time would have disagreed with the actress Fanny Kemble’s remark—"What, trust a woman doctor—never!"

Yet by the time Dr. Blackwell died in 1910 there were hundreds of women practicing medicine on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks in no small part to her courage and determination. Using a treasure trove of primary sources, the book reveals how Elizabeth Blackwell's pioneering efforts helped to fundamentally change the status of women in the West.

The Excellent Doctor Blackwell tells a remarkable story, taking in the women's rights movement, the American Civil War, and Elizabeth's personal tragedy, with a fascinating cast of characters, from Abraham Lincoln to Florence Nightingale.

About Julia Boyd

Julia Boyd is the author of A Dance with the Dragon: The Vanished World of Peking's Foreign Colony; The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician; and Hannah Riddell: An Englishwoman in Japan. Previously a trustee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, she now lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anthony on October 22, 2016

An admirable work about an admirable woman. In her attempt to show the world that women can do as well as men, Elizabeth Blackwell became the world’s first female doctor and thus opened the path for future generations. It’s a remarkable tale of someone who was clearly difficult and obstinate, but show......more

Goodreads review by Doris on October 12, 2018

Fascinating biography of a woman in many ways admirable and in equally many ways annoying. Her ambition, determination, and focus, which allowed her to force herself into membership in a reluctant medical establishment, are remarkable. But her selfishness and self-righteousness render her largely un......more

Goodreads review by Karen on August 25, 2021

Probably 3.5 stars as it’s always harder to read non-fiction. Dr Blackwell lived in Victorian times and actually knew Florence Nightingale although their views about the role of women in Medicine could not have been more different. This was the first women to attend Medical school and I knew so litt......more

Goodreads review by Shadira on June 27, 2022

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to qualify as a doctor. For a young Englishwoman with neither money nor connections this was an extraordinary feat. After graduating from Geneva Medical College in New York in 1849 (The male students thought her application was a hoax) she had to battle consta......more

Goodreads review by Margie on June 08, 2023

When I was in grade school, I was the president of our class book club because I bought and read the most books from the Weekly Reader Book Club. One of those books was a child's biography of the first woman doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell. The story I discovered in that book stuck with me and added to......more