Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
Encyclopedia
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.
It was 10 years since the first British women had been licensed to practise as doctors, and female medical education was in its early days; it would be another 6 years before Scottish universities would admit women students
. Jex-Blake had friends in Edinburgh, as well as opponents, from her earlier unsuccessful campaign
to persuade the University of Edinburgh
to educate women in their medical school. She arranged for the new women students to gain clinical experience at Leith Hospital.
Her uncompromising approach to discipline led to problems. When two sisters won a court case challenging their expulsion, the bad publicity meant that both the school and Jex-Blake herself lost support, and some students moved to Glasgow
, London
and Dublin; there were no other places in Great Britain or Ireland where women could study medicine at that time.
Elsie Inglis
left the School and set up an alternative nearby: the Medical College for Women. Jex-Blake wanted to be involved there too, but met resistance, while her relations with Leith Hospital were also becoming strained. Luckily the female students would soon be allowed to gain practical experience at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
, previously blocked to them.
In 1892, Scottish universities opened their doors to women. The ESMW continued for a few more years, advertising "Science Classes for Ladies - separate classes in botany, zoology and practical chemistry . . . Qualify for Arts and Science Graduation . . . "
The school was never free of financial troubles, and in 1897 Jex-Blake herself was suffering from exhaustion. The following year the school closed, having educated about 80 women from the UK, India
and elsewhere, with 33 of them completing the full course.
Jessie Macgregor was one of those who stayed for the whole course, and won distinctions in her examinations. She then practised medicine in partnership with Elsie Inglis, and was a medical officer at the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children
.
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...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women.
It was 10 years since the first British women had been licensed to practise as doctors, and female medical education was in its early days; it would be another 6 years before Scottish universities would admit women students
Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women
The Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women , originally known as the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association , campaigned for higher education for women from 1867 until 1892 when Scottish universities started to admit female students...
. Jex-Blake had friends in Edinburgh, as well as opponents, from her earlier unsuccessful campaign
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...
to persuade the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
to educate women in their medical school. She arranged for the new women students to gain clinical experience at Leith Hospital.
Her uncompromising approach to discipline led to problems. When two sisters won a court case challenging their expulsion, the bad publicity meant that both the school and Jex-Blake herself lost support, and some students moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Dublin; there were no other places in Great Britain or Ireland where women could study medicine at that time.
Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis was an innovative Scottish doctor and suffragist.-Education:She was born in the hill station town of Naini Tal, India, to John Forbes David Inglis who worked in the Indian civil service as Chief Commissioner of Oudh...
left the School and set up an alternative nearby: the Medical College for Women. Jex-Blake wanted to be involved there too, but met resistance, while her relations with Leith Hospital were also becoming strained. Luckily the female students would soon be allowed to gain practical experience at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or RIE, sometimes mistakenly referred to as Edinburgh Royal Infirmary or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on...
, previously blocked to them.
In 1892, Scottish universities opened their doors to women. The ESMW continued for a few more years, advertising "Science Classes for Ladies - separate classes in botany, zoology and practical chemistry . . . Qualify for Arts and Science Graduation . . . "
The school was never free of financial troubles, and in 1897 Jex-Blake herself was suffering from exhaustion. The following year the school closed, having educated about 80 women from the UK, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and elsewhere, with 33 of them completing the full course.
Jessie Macgregor was one of those who stayed for the whole course, and won distinctions in her examinations. She then practised medicine in partnership with Elsie Inglis, and was a medical officer at the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children
Bruntsfield Hospital
Bruntsfield Hospital was an Edinburgh hospital which started in 1878 as a women's dispensary opened by the city's first female doctor, Sophia Jex-Blake. It soon added some beds for in-patients, and moved from a busy, central area to the more peaceful Bruntsfield before the turn of the century...
.
Further reading
- Somerville, JM Dr Sophia Jex-Blake and the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, 1886–1898 (2005)
- The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2006)
- The Scotsman archives
- Jex-Blake's own description