The First Female Physician, Against All Odds

How Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to get a U.S. medical degree

Elizabeth Blackwell portrait. Blackwell Family Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.

In 1845 America, there was no such thing as a qualified female physician. The few who existed at the time were backroom abortionists with no medical license. But when a close friend told Elizabeth Blackwell, “If I could have been treated by a lady doctor, my…