For use in schools and libraries only. A biography of a strong and dedicated woman who successfully worked for the recognition of women in the field of medicine in both the United States and Great Britain.

New York Times Bestseller Finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Biography "Janice P. Nimura has resurrected Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell in all their feisty, thrilling, trailblazing splendor." —Stacy Schiff Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for a mission beyond the scope of "ordinary" womanhood. Though the world at first recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity ultimately won her the acceptance of the male medical establishment. In 1849, she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. She was soon joined in her iconic achievement by her younger sister, Emily, who was actually the more brilliant physician. Exploring the sisters’ allies, enemies, and enduring partnership, Janice P. Nimura presents a story of trial and triumph. Together, the Blackwells founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first hospital staffed entirely by women. Both sisters were tenacious and visionary, but their convictions did not always align with the emergence of women’s rights—or with each other. From Bristol, Paris, and Edinburgh to the rising cities of antebellum America, this richly researched new biography celebrates two complicated pioneers who exploded the limits of possibility for women in medicine. As Elizabeth herself predicted, "a hundred years hence, women will not be what they are now."

A biography of the first woman doctor in the United States, who worked in both America and England to open the field of medicine to women.

Presents the life and accomplishments of the first American woman to attend medical school and become a doctor.

Describes Elizabeth Blackwell's struggles and achievements in becoming the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

Traces the early life of the first woman physician, relating the struggle women had to face in becoming doctors and practicing medicine.

Presents the true story of the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, who opened the first women-run hospital in New York.