Nazia Hassan

Professor Flanagan
English 2010
17th July 2016
Podcast
This was my first time listening to a podcast, and I found it really interesting and a much
better way to learn, in this podcast I learn about Elizabeth Blackwell, born in February 20, 1821,
she was a British born physician, and she is famous for being first women to get her medical
degree in the United States. Her family was deep religious and also social liberal, and they were
abolitionists, they were strongly against slavery, she had four sisters and four brothers.
By listening to this podcast I learn about the first women in United States history, who
went to medical school and become a first women doctor, it was not in my history course book,
but I think this topic should get more attention because its important for womens to know about
such a great person, such a great women, who open the door for other womens to go in different
field and learn about different things and also she is great example and courage for all of us, and
it was success for all women, and example of bravery , she got her medical degree in that time
when women were considered weak and less than men, and their place in society was just a
house servant, who take care of her husband and children, and depended on her husband for
everything.
Elizabeth Blackwell started her career as a teacher. At the time it was the only career a
woman could have. Later on in her life a friend advised her to study medicine. She did not feel

any interest for medicine when she first started but that changed as she started to read more and
her desire grew quickly to learn medicine and become a doctor. She started to save money for
medical school, initially to be trained in France but it was really very expensive. She took on a
job in North Carolina to teach so she could earn and save the money for her medical school
expenses. While teaching there a gentleman by the name of Reverend John Dickson who was a
physician and became a preacher, befriended her and it was through him that she met his brother
who she would study under.
In 1847 she moved back to Philadelphia with the intention of investigating opportunities
for formal medical study. She applied to major medical schools and got rejected from every
single one. In fact, most physicians recommended she go to Paris or she take up a disguise and
pretend to be a man. Eventually Geneva College, then known as Hobart College in New York,
by mistake approved her application. They were apparently either unaware that she was a
woman or approved it by accident, and instead of going back on their word they decided to let
the student body decide if they should or should not stand by their acceptance of her into the
medical school. The student body voted that the school needed to stand by their word and she
was accepted!
After graduating from college she returned to Philadelphia and applied for medical
positions for clinical experience she did get acceptance, but some young resident physicians
would walk out and refuse to assist her in diagnosing and treating her patients. After all these
struggles on January 23rd 1849 she became the first woman to achieve her medical degree in the
United States.

In 1849 she decided to go to Europe and continue her studies. Just like America at first
she was rejected from many hospitals. Finally she was accepted at La Maternite under the
condition that she works as a midwife, not a physician. She gained a lot of experience from the
and on November 4th while treating a child some contaminated solution splashed into her left eye
and due to this she lost sight in that eye, ending her dream of eventually becoming a surgeon.
Upon returning to the States in 1853 she opened up a small dispensary and treated
women. When the Civil war broke out she founded an organization named WCAR, standing for
Womens Central Association for Relief, which focused on training women to become battlefield
nurses. She died in 1910 but not before going to Europe in 1869 for a year and then returning in
1870 to do social work.
I got this information by listening to the podcast. I really enjoyed listening to the podcast.
I think it is an easier way of taking information in. Maybe some people like reading but for me
listening to the podcast was a great experience and interesting, but with the benefit of being able
to rewind and re listen if something didnt make sense or if something was missed. I would be
very interested in learning history this way and I would like to listen to more podcasts as part of
my academic plate.
It was easy to learn and grasp the history about this great example of a woman by
podcast. It was more like listening to a story; I could imagine myself taking those steps and was
really able to soak in the information. I found it to be beneficial to not only my knowledge but
also inspiring me as a woman, to learn about Elizabeth Blackwell and her courageous story. She
certainly deserves more time and attention in our history books.