Have you ever wondered how the medical field became what it is today? The medical field has improved drastically through out the years with the help of many people. Those people are called pioneers of medicine. There have been many people who have helped make a difference, most of them have been men and very few women. Theres one particular women who stood out to me. Today I will be talking about one certain pioneer who changed the medical field dramatically. Her name is Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first female physician in Britain. First let me tell you a little bit about Elizabeth, Elizabeth was born in Whitechapel, London, the daughter of a pawnbroker with 12 children. Her father became a successful businessman, allowing him to send all his children to good schools. After school she was expected to marry and live the …show more content…
This was unheard of in the 19th century in Britain and she had made several attempts to study at a number of multiple medical schools were she was denied. Elizabeth enrolled as a nursing student at Middlesex Hospital and attended classes that were intended for male doctors, but was kicked out after complaints from other students. The Society of Apothecaries did not necessarily forbid women from taking their examinations, in 1865 she passed their exams and received a certificate which allowed her to become a doctor. Since then the society has changed its rules to prevent other women from entering the profession this way. Since her father’s was well off, in 1866 she created a dispensary for women in London and in 1870 she made a visit to the physician of the East London Hospital. There she met James Anderson, who was a successful businessman. She then married him in 1871 and eventually had three children of their own. Elizabeth remained determined to have a medical degree, so she taught herself French and attended the University of Paris, where she successfully earned her degree. The British Medical Register refused to recognize her