Women Who Revolutionized Modern Medicine

In the winter semester of 2023, there were 113,383 students enrolled in medical programs in Germany, 73,244 of whom were women. This equates to nearly 65%, a remarkable figure considering that women were only granted access to universities in 1899. The rationale for their exclusion was the belief that a woman’s delicate nature was unsuitable for the study of medicine.

What led to the shift in thinking that allowed women to pursue medical studies? Two pioneering figures, Dorothea Christiane Erxleben and Elizabeth Blackwell, played pivotal roles. They were the first women to earn a medical degree in Germany and the United States, respectively, demonstrating courage and challenging widely held norms.

Germany’s First Female Doctor

Erxleben was born on November 13, 1715, in Quedlinburg, in the Harz region of Germany. A childhood illness confined her to bed for extended periods, sparking a lifelong curiosity and desire to learn. 

Her father, who was a physician and a proponent of Enlightenment ideals, believed in education for daughters as well as sons. As a result, Erxleben joined her brothers’ lessons and independently studied subjects like Latin, a language traditionally taught only to boys.

Her father eventually exhausted his teaching abilities and sought the help of a friend who was a school principal. This friend predicted a bright future for Erxleben and offered his support, providing her with study materials and feedback, fostering her intellectual growth.

Erxleben’s mother, however, worried that these academic pursuits were causing her to neglect her domestic duties. To appease her, Erxleben fulfilled these household obligations, while continuing to pursue her love of science.

In her youth, she accompanied her father on visits to his patients, which likely inspired a determination to study medicine. Her brother began his medical studies in 1736, but a medical career for a woman was impossible at that time.

Erxleben published a book in 1742 titled Gründliche Untersuchung der Ursachen, die das weibliche Geschlecht vom Studieren abhalten (A Thorough Examination of the Reasons That Prevent the Female Sex from Studying), in which she challenged these restrictions.

When Frederick II of Prussia ascended the throne in 1740, Erxleben petitioned him for permission to study medicine. Her request was granted by royal decree on April 15, 1741. However, Erxleben was never able to begin her studies because her brother was conscripted for military service, and she was allowed to attend classes only with him as a companion. Instead, she continued to practice medicine at her father’s clinic, which she took over in 1747. She also married a widower with five children and had four more children with him. At this time, her life was a balance of domestic duties and patient care.

In 1753, following the death of a patient, Erxleben was accused of malpractice by three colleagues after the death of a patient. Despite the lack of evidence, her practice was temporarily shut down. She protested the ban and invoked her royal permission to pursue a medical degree. In 1754, she submitted her dissertation and graduated with honors.

Erxleben died at the age of 46 after earning professional respect as Germany’s first woman doctor.

“Everyone wants a wise woman, but they do not allow her the means to use her wisdom,” Erxleben once said.

A Pioneer in America

The second inspiring woman and pioneer was Blackwell, born one of nine children in Bristol, England, on February 3, 1821. Her parents held progressive views for their time, advocating for the abolition of slavery, among other causes. In 1832, the family moved to Cincinnati. After the death of her father in 1838, Blackwell, her mother, and two sisters worked as teachers to support the family.

A friend’s dying wish for a female doctor inspired Blackwell to study medicine. However, American women, like their counterparts in Germany, were not permitted to attend medical school. Through her work as a teacher, Blackwell met two doctors who supported her ambition. Applications to several medical colleges met with rejection, receiving rejection after rejection, but the dean of Geneva Medical College, Geneva, New York, decided to put the matter to a student vote. Thinking it may have been a joke, they voted unanimously in favor of her admission.

Despite the challenges — being excluded from classes, mocked by townspeople, and isolated from peers — Blackwell persevered, graduating in 1849 after writing a thesis on typhus.

She continued her training in London and Paris, where she worked at La Maternité in obstetrics. There, she contracted gonorrhea from a newborn, which led to the loss of sight in her left eye and ended her hopes of becoming a surgeon.

In 1851, Blackwell returned to New York where she founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. This institution provided positions for female doctors and trained nurses during the Civil War. Her sister Emily Blackwell, one of America’s earliest female physicians, practiced medicine there, becoming the third woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.

In 1874, Blackwell returned to London, United Kingdom, and founded the London School of Medicine for Women, where she became a professor in 1875 and remained until 1907. In that year, she suffered a fall that she never fully recovered from. She died in 1910.

“If an idea, I reasoned, were really a valuable one, there must be some way of realizing it,” Blackwell had said in 1895. “The idea of winning a doctor’s degree gradually assumed the aspect of a great moral struggle, and the moral fight possessed great attraction for me.”

Progress in the United Kingdom

Blackwell obtained her degree in the United States for good reason. It wasn’t until 1869, after legal battles, that British women were able to study medicine, albeit in segregated classes. Full access to medical degrees at institutions like the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, only became possible in 1894. Sir James Simpson was a strong advocate for women’s rights at the university, and his death in 1870 was a significant setback. Shortly afterward, crowds gathered at the anatomy exam building to prevent women from entering. A court ruling later prohibited women from taking their final exams, leading some to study abroad.

A Long Road to Full Equality

These pioneering women paved the way for future generations. Their shared strength was the support of their families, who encouraged their education regardless of gender. 

Today, women outnumber men in medical schools, but disparities persist, especially in leadership roles. The burden of family responsibilities remains a significant barrier.

The journey toward gender equality is far from over.

This story was translated fromUnivadis Germany using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.