The Excellent Doctor Blackwell
The Life of the First Woman Physician

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

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

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

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

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