Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women

 History of Medicine  4 Responses »
Mar 242017
 

Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women30 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1HU

In 1886, six years before the first women were admitted to study medicine at the Scottish Universities, Sophia Jex-Blake set up the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women in Chambers Street. During its existence it educated approximately 80 women, with 33 of them completing the course. During its existence the school was never entirely free of financial difficulties and it closed its doors for the last time in 1898. By this time the battle to gain access to medical education had largely been won and the Scottish Universities had been admitting women to study medicine since 1892.

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Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912).

Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912).

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The Edinburgh Seven

 History of Medicine, History of Science  No Responses »
Apr 172016
 

Royal College of Surgeons, Nicolson St, Edinburgh EH8 9BZ

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

A notorious riot took place on this spot at the doors of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1870 when male medical students attempted to prevent female students from taking an anatomy exam. The first group of female students, known as the Edinburgh Seven, were Sophia Jex-Blake, Isabel Thorne, Edith Pechey, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Mary Anderson, and Emily Bovell. Several went on to distinguished medical careers, including the leader of the group, Jex-Blake, who set up the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women, and Chaplin, who founded a school of midwifery in Tokyo.

Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912).

Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912).

Plaque to the Edinburgh Seven, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Plaque to the Edinburgh Seven, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

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