London School of Medicine for Women
Encyclopedia
The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 and was the first medical school in Britain
to train women.
The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
, Emily Blackwell
and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry Huxley. The founding was motivated at least in part by Jex-Blake's frustrated attempts at getting a medical degree
at a time when women were not admitted to British medical schools. Other women who had studied with Jex-Blake in Edinburgh joined her at the London school, including Isabel Thorne
who became honorary secretary when Jex-Blake withdrew in 1877 and went to start medical practice in Edinburgh where she would found the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
in 1886.
The 1876 Medical Act was introduced into the British Parliament by Russell Gurney
, husband of Emilia Russell Gurney a member of the Kensington Society
, and received Royal Assent
the same year. The bill extended the 1853 Medical Act to allow all examining authorities to grant registration to physicians regardless of gender.
In 1877, an agreement was reached with the Royal Free Hospital
that allowed students at the London School of Medicine for Women to complete their clinical studies there. The Royal Free Hospital was the first teaching hospital in London to admit women for training.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was Dean (1883-1903) while the school was rebuilt, became part of the University of London
and consolidated the association with the Royal Free Hospital. In 1896, the School was renamed the London Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine for Women.
In 1894, a well known Asian Indian feminist Dr. Rukhmabai qualified in medicine after attending the London School of Medicine for Women. The number of Asian Indian women students increased and by 1920 the school in cooperation with the India Office
opened a hostel for Asian Indian women medical students.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
to train women.
The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake was an English physician, teacher and feminist. She was one of the first female doctors in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a leading campaigner for medical education for women and was involved in founding two medical schools for women, in London and in...
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
, Emily Blackwell
Emily Blackwell
Emily Blackwell was the second woman to earn a medical degree at what is now Case Western Reserve University, and the third openly identified woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.-Biography:...
and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry Huxley. The founding was motivated at least in part by Jex-Blake's frustrated attempts at getting a medical degree
Edinburgh Seven
The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of women medical students at a university in the United Kingdom. They fought to study medicine at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and to be allowed to graduate. In 1869 they were allowed to attend specially-arranged classes, but in 1873 they lost a legal...
at a time when women were not admitted to British medical schools. Other women who had studied with Jex-Blake in Edinburgh joined her at the London school, including Isabel Thorne
Isabel Thorne
Isabel Jane Thorne was an early campaigner for medical education for women.Born in London, she married Joseph Thorne, a tea merchant, and went to live in Shanghai. They are believed to have had five children, including: Isobel , Mary ; and Dr...
who became honorary secretary when Jex-Blake withdrew in 1877 and went to start medical practice in Edinburgh where she would found the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was founded by Dr Sophia Jex-Blake in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women....
in 1886.
The 1876 Medical Act was introduced into the British Parliament by Russell Gurney
Russell Gurney
Russell Gurney was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1878.-Life:...
, husband of Emilia Russell Gurney a member of the Kensington Society
Kensington society
The Kensington Society formed in London, England in March 1865. It developed as a forum where rising suffragists discussed women's rights organized their campaign for female suffrage, education and property holding....
, and received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
the same year. The bill extended the 1853 Medical Act to allow all examining authorities to grant registration to physicians regardless of gender.
In 1877, an agreement was reached with the Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
that allowed students at the London School of Medicine for Women to complete their clinical studies there. The Royal Free Hospital was the first teaching hospital in London to admit women for training.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was Dean (1883-1903) while the school was rebuilt, became part of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and consolidated the association with the Royal Free Hospital. In 1896, the School was renamed the London Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine for Women.
In 1894, a well known Asian Indian feminist Dr. Rukhmabai qualified in medicine after attending the London School of Medicine for Women. The number of Asian Indian women students increased and by 1920 the school in cooperation with the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
opened a hostel for Asian Indian women medical students.
London School of Medicine for Women: Notable graduates
- Julia BellJulia BellJulia Bell was a pioneering English human geneticist. She attended Girton College in Cambridge and took the Mathematical Tripos exam in 1901. But because women could not officially receive degrees from Oxford or Cambridge, she was awarded a master's degree at Trinity College, Dublin for her work...
, human geneticist and member of the Royal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
, graduated 1920. - Eleanor Davies-ColleyEleanor Davies-ColleyEleanor Davies-Colley FRCS was a British surgeon. Among the earliest women in the UK to pursue a career in surgery, at that time an almost entirely male-dominated profession, she was also the co-founder of the South London Hospital for Women and Children.-Early life:Born at Petworth in Sussex, her...
, surgeon, first female FRCS, co-founder of the South London Hospital for Women and ChildrenSouth London Hospital for Women and ChildrenThe South London Hospital for Women and Children was a general hospital treating women and children on Clapham Common in London, UK. It was also known as the South London Hospital for Women and the South London Women's Hospital. Founded by Eleanor Davies-Colley and Maud Chadburn in 1912, it always...
, graduated 1907. - Louisa Garrett AndersonLouisa Garrett AndersonDr. Louisa Garrett Anderson CBE was a medical pioneer, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union, a suffragette, and social reformer. She was the daughter of the founding medical pioneer Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Her aunt, Dame Millicent Fawcett was a British suffragist...
, co-founder of Women's Hospital for Children, co-founder and Chief Surgeon of Women's Hospital Corps, graduated circa 1897. - Mary Esther HardingMary Esther HardingMary Esther Harding was an American Jungian analyst who was the first significant Jungian psychoanalyst in the United States.-Personal life:...
, Jungian psycholanalyst, graduated 1910. - Dr. Jensha Jhirad, the first Asian Indian woman with a degree in obstetrics and gynaecology, graduated 1919.
- Margaret LowenfeldMargaret LowenfeldMargaret Frances Jane Lowenfeld was a British-born pioneer of child psychology and psychotherapy, a medical researcher in paediatric medicine, and an author of several publications and academic papers on the analysis of child development and play...
, child psychologist, psychotherapist and paediatrician, graduated 1918. - Flora MurrayFlora MurrayDr. Flora Murray, M.D. was a medical pioneer and a member of the Women's Social and Political Union suffragettes.Murray trained at the London School of Medicine for Women and finished her course at Durham. She then worked in Scotland before returning to London in 1905...
, co-founder of Women's Hospital for Children and the Women's Hospital Corps, graduated circa 1895. - Alice StewartAlice StewartDr Alice Mary Stewart was a physician and epidemiologist specialising in social medicine and the effects of radiation on health...
, epidemiologist who revolutionized the understanding of radiation risk, graduated 1899. - Helena Rosa WrightHelena Rosa WrightHelena Rosa Wright was a British-born pioneer and influential figure in birth control and family planning both in the Britain and internationally. With her husband she undertook missionary work in China for five years. She qualified as a medical doctor, later specialising in contraception medicine...
, surgeon, birth control pioneer both in the UK and internationally, graduated 1914 - Dr Isabella Macdonald Macdonald, graduated in 1888, one of the first few women in the UK to do so. She was the resident physician Cama Hospital, Bombay, India 1888-1891, and consultant physician at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, London.
See also
- New Hospital for WomenNew Hospital for WomenThe Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital was a hospital in Bloomsbury, London in the United Kingdom. It was operated by the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.-History:...
, also founded by Elizabeth Garrett Anderson - Edinburgh School of Medicine for WomenEdinburgh School of Medicine for WomenThe Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was founded by Dr Sophia Jex-Blake in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women....
- Women in medicineWomen in medicineHistorically and in many parts of the world, women's participation in the profession of medicine has been significantly restricted, although women's practice of medicine, informally, in the role of caregivers, or in the allied health professions, has been widespread...