Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Louisa Jex -Blake ( born January 21, 1840 in Hastings, East Sussex, † January 7, 1912 in Rotherfield, Sussex ) was a British physician, feminist and founder of two medical schools for women, in London and Edinburgh, as well as a women hospital.
Life
Sophia Jex -Blake was the youngest daughter of a successful lawyer Thomas Jex -Blake († 1868) and his wife Mary Cubitt († 1881). Sophia was considered a precocious and highly intelligent. Therefore, she attended various private schools in the south of England and in 1858 she enrolled in the Queen's College, a public college for women in London, a. The young woman lived at this time at Octavia Hill, a good friend of the family. A short time later, Sophia was asked to accept a job as a tutor in mathematics - their parents gave their consent only after it had settled, who taught their daughter without any financial aid. After the Queen's College, Sophia Jex -Blake went to Mannheim, and shortly thereafter in the United States, where she attended various schools and wrote a book about A Visit to some American Schools and Colleges. At The New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, she met one of the pioneers of female doctors, Lucy Sewell, and worked for a time as an assistant. This was a turning point for Jex -Blake, she decided to become a doctor. In 1867 she applied for, along with Susan Dimock, at Harvard University in Cambridge, but were rejected. The following years studied Sophia Jex -Blake Medical College Women 's Medical College of the New York Infirmary in New York City, founded by the originating from England first American woman doctor Elizabeth Blackwell. The following year, her father died and she returned to England.
Sophia Jex -Blake applied in 1869 to study at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Edinburgh. It was initially rejected because it does not send for a single woman to take part in the courses. Then she organized a group of seven women, including her friend Edith Pechy who were allowed to study. After a year of Sophia Jex -Blake and the other women wanted to visit the anatomy course. On the way to the auditorium male students barricaded the entrance, the women pelted with dirt and cursed at her. When they arrived at the destination, you presented the women sheep and declared, were now also 'low livestock' no longer excluded from lecture halls.
After also denied her the achieved degree, put Sophia Jex -Blake continued her studies in New York and was a student of Elizabeth Blackwell. A year later joined Jex -Blake with the Doctor of Medicine ( MD Medical Doctor) from. 1875 Sophia tried in England to have women under the license of Obstetrics entered in the medical register, whereupon the entire Examining Authority resigned in protest. Sophia Jex -Blake had at that time in Edinburgh founded a medical school, to which they also took Elizabeth Blackwell, which closed in 1899 their New York school. Along with Elizabeth Garrett Anderson she founded in London, the School of Medicine for Women, which was later attached to a medical college, and trained nurses and doctors from. After Elizabeth Garrett Anderson retired in 1903 and designated as the Dean of the Medical Faculty Isabel Thorne, Sophia Jex -Blake left disappointed London and went to Edinburgh. A short time later they went himself to retire and lived in Tunbridge Wells, where she played an active role in the local Women's Suffrage Society.
Trivia
- Her brother, Thomas William Jex -Blake (1832-1915), was between 1874 to 1887 the head of Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire.
- Her niece, Katharine Jex -Blake, was between 1916-1922 head of Girton College.
- Their other niece, Henrietta Jex -Blake, was from 1909 to 1921 Rector on Girl Collage Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.