The London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW) established in 1874 was the first medical school in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to train women as doctors. The patrons, vice-presidents, and members of the committee that supported and helped found the London School of Medicine for Women wanted to provide educated women with the necessary facilities for learning and practicing midwifery and other branches of medicine while also promoting their future employment in the fields of midwifery and other fields of treatment for women and children.

History

London School of Medicine for Women, Hunter Street London

The school was formed in 1874 by an association of pioneering women physicians

Sophia Jex-Blake Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake (21 January 1840 – 7 January 1912) was an English physician, teacher and feminist. She led the campaign to secure women access to a University education when she and six other women, collectively known as the E ...

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (9 June 1836 – 17 December 1917) was an English physician and suffragist. She was the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon. She was the co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women, ...

, Emily Blackwell and

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Ki ...

with

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

. The founding was motivated at least in part by Jex-Blake's frustrated attempts at getting a medical degree at a time when women were not admitted to British medical schools, thus being expelled from Edinburgh University. Other women who had studied with Jex-Blake in Edinburgh joined her at the London school, including

Isabel Thorne Isabel Jane Thorne (née Pryer; 22 September 1834 – 9 October 1910) was an early campaigner for medical education for women. Mrs Thorne, as she was known, was a member of the feminist Edinburgh Seven, who campaigned and succeeded in securing t ...

who succeeded her as honorary secretary in 1877. She departed to start a medical practice in Edinburgh where she would found the

Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was founded by Sophia Jex-Blake in Edinburgh, Scotland, in October of 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women. Sophia Jex-Blake was appointed as bot ...

in 1886.

The UK Medical Act of 1876 (39 and 40 Vict, Ch. 41) was an act which repealed the previous Medical Act in the United Kingdom and allowed the medical authorities to license all qualified applicants irrespective of gender. In 1877 an agreement was reached with the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known simply as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Bar ...

that allowed students at the London School of Medicine for Women to complete their clinical studies there. The Royal Free Hospital was the first teaching hospital in London to admit women for training. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was Dean (1883–1903) while the school was rebuilt, became part of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

and consolidated association with the Royal Free Hospital. In 1896, the School was officially renamed the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women. In 1894, a well known

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n feminist Dr. Rukhmabai qualified in medicine after attending the London School of Medicine for Women. The number of Indian women students steadily increased so that by 1920 the school, in co-operation with the

India Office The India Office was a British government department established in London in 1858 to oversee the administration, through a Viceroy and other officials, of the Provinces of India. These territories comprised most of the modern-day nations of I ...

opened a hostel for female Indian medical students. In 1914, the school was further expanded due to the number of women wishing to study medicine, making it necessary to double the number of laboratories and lecture rooms. At the time of expansion, the school had over 300 students enrolled, making it the largest women's university college in Britain. In 1998, it merged with the

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lon ...

's medical school to form the UCL Medical School.

Background about the founders

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman from the United States of America to receive a medical degree. Born in Bristol, England on the 3rd of February 1821, Elizabeth Blackwell was the third of nine children in the family. Among the many family members, Blackwell had famous relatives, including her brother Henry, a well-known abolitionist and women's rights supporter. In 1832, Blackwell moved to America, specifically settling in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1838, Blackwell's father, Samuel Blackwell, died, leaving the family in poor economic status during a national economic crisis. Because of this, Blackwell received her first occupational job as a teacher along with her mother and her sisters. Blackwell's inspiration for medicine sparked during a conversation with her dying friend, stating her situation would have been better if she had been a female physician. While teaching, Blackwell boarded two male physicians from the south, allowing her to attain her first real knowledge of the medical field through the mentoring from the two physicians. In 1847, Blackwell applied to college, getting rejected from everywhere she applied, except from Geneva College who accepted her as a practical joke. After receiving years of discrimination, Blackwell eventually graduated first in her class, slowly earning the respect of her professors and educators. Blackwell then returned to New York City, opening a small clinic with the help of her Quaker friends. There she provided positions for women physicians during the Civil War, training women nurses for the union hospitals. In 1869, she left New York City to return to England. From 1875 to 1877 she lectured on gynecology at the newly built London School of Medicine for Women.

Sophia Jex-Blake

Sophia Jex-Blake was born in Hastings, UK in 1840. After attending various private schools, Jex-Blake attended Queen's College. Jex-Blake's pursuit of an occupation in the field of medicine lead to the desire to enroll in the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. Jex-Blake's desire to attend the University of Edinburgh was hindered because the university did not allow women to attend. To fight this, Jex-Blake opened a court case against the university, resulting in an unsuccessful ruling in favor of the University of Edinburgh. In 1889, the Act of Parliament ruled for degrees for women, largely resulting because of Jex-Blake's struggles. This allowed Sophia Jex-Blake to become one of the first female doctors in the UK. Jex-Blake then founded the London School of Medicine for Women as well as the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was born in Whitechapel, London and received a good education. She chose to pursue a medical career after meeting Doctor

. After applying to several medical schools, Anderson got rejected from all of those she applied to. Thus, Anderson enrolled as a nurse in Middlesex Hospital and was appointed to the position of medical attendant in 1866 at St. Mary's Dispensary. Still wishing to become a doctor, Anderson successfully pursued a medical degree in France. Returning to London, Anderson assisted in the founding of the New Hospital for Women at the St. Mary's Dispensary and the London School of Medicine for Women. Anderson would later oversee the London School's expansion after she receiving the position of Dean in 1833, after which she also appointed Blackwell as a Professor of Gynecology. The school was later renamed to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, which was eventually made part of the University of London.

Notable graduates

* Dame

Louisa Aldrich-Blake Dame Louisa Brandreth Aldrich-Blake (15 August 1865 – 28 December 1925) was a pioneering surgeon and one of the first British women to enter the world of modern medicine. Born in Chingford, Essex, she was the eldest daughter of a curate. L ...

, first woman in Britain to be awarded the degree of Master of Surgery. *

Florence Barrett Florence Elizabeth, Lady Barrett, (1867 - 7 August 1945) was a consultant surgeon at the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton and the Royal Free Hospital in London. She was a gynaecologist, obstetrician and eugenecist. Early and private life Lady Ba ...

, consultant surgeon at the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton and the Royal Free Hospital in London, graduated 1906 *

Diana Beck Diana Jean Kinloch Beck (29 June 1900 – 3 March 1956) was an English neurosurgeon and possibly the first female neurosurgeon. She established the neurosurgery service at Middlesex Hospital in London, where she gained a public profile for oper ...

, consultant neurosurgeon at

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

, graduated 1925 *

Julia Bell Julia Bell (28 January 1879 – 26 April 1979) was a pioneering English human geneticist.Greta Jones, 'Bell, Julia (1879–1979)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 200accessed 10 M ...

, human geneticist and member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, graduated 1920 *

Rosemary Biggs Rosemary Peyton Biggs (21 April 1912 – 29 June 2001) was an English haematologist. She worked closely with Robert Gwyn Macfarlane at the Radcliffe Infirmary and Churchill Hospital in Oxford, where she studied coagulation disorders, particu ...

, haematologist, graduated 1943 *

Margery Blackie Margery Grace Blackie CVO MD, FFHom (4 February 1898 – 24 August 1981) was a British Doctor of Medicine who was appointed as the first woman royal physician to Queen Elizabeth II. Early life Blackie was born at Redbourn, Hertfordshire, on ...

, homeopath to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

, graduated 1923 *

Mary Alice Blair Mary Alice Blair (1880–1962) was a New Zealand doctor who organised hospitals in Malta, Serbia and Salonika during the First World War. She was in charge of Serbian hospital evacuation to Corsica where she was responsible for the thousands of ...

, surgeon and Unit Administrator with the Scottish Women's Hospital for Foreign Service, graduated 1910 * Margaret Boileau, doctor and surgeon from

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, graduated 1906 * Ruth Bowden, professor of anatomy at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, graduated 1940 * Fanny Jane Butler, in first graduating class, 1880; known as first English, fully trained medical missionary in India * Dame Hilda Bynoe, Governor of

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...

, graduated 1951 * Phillis Emily Cunnington, collector, writer and historian on costume and fashion, graduated 1918 * Janet Elizabeth Lane-Claypon, a founder of the science of epidemiology, graduated 1901 * Eleanor Davies-Colley, surgeon, first female FRCS, co-founder of the

South London Hospital for Women and Children The South London Hospital for Women and Children was a general hospital treating women and children on Clapham Common in London, UK. It was also known as the South London Hospital for Women and the South London Women's Hospital. Founded by Elean ...

, graduated 1907 * Katharine Dormandy, haematologist at the Royal Free Hospital, graduated 1951 *

Eva Frommer Eva Ann Frommer (6 September 1927 – 8 August 2004) was a German-born British consultant child psychiatrist, working at St Thomas' Hospital in South London. Her specialism was to apply the arts and eurythmy to the treatment of pre-school chil ...

, pioneering child psychiatrist, founder of the Children's Day Hospital and foundation member of the

Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental healt ...

, graduated 1952 *

Frances Gardner Dame Frances Violet Gardner (28 February 1913 – 10 July 1989) was an English cardiologist. She introduced angiocardiography to Britain in 1946 and worked at the Royal Free Hospital from 1943 to 1975. Early life Frances Gardner was born in Ma ...

, consultant cardiologist at the Royal Free Hospital, graduated 1940 *

Louisa Garrett Anderson Louisa Garrett Anderson, CBE (28 July 1873 – 15 November 1943) was a medical pioneer, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union, a suffragette, and social reformer. She was the daughter of the founding medical pioneer Elizabeth Gar ...

, co-founder of Women's Hospital for Children, co-founder and Chief Surgeon of Women's Hospital Corps, graduated circa 1897 * Mary Gordon, first British female prison inspector, graduated 1890 * Mary Esther Harding, Jungian psychoanalyst, graduated 1910 *

Dorothy Christian Hare Dorothy Christian Hare, CBE (14 September 1876 – 19 January 1967) was an English physician. She joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and Women's Royal Naval Service during the First World War where she became concerned about the treatment of ...

, medical director of the Women's Royal Naval Service * Charlotte Leighton Houlton, chief medical officer, Women's Medical Service of India (1935-1939) * Jerusha Jhirad, the first Indian woman with a degree in obstetrics and gynaecology, graduated 1919 * Una Ledingham, expert on

diabetes and pregnancy For pregnant women with diabetes, some particular challenges exist for both mother and child. If the pregnant woman has diabetes as a pre-existing disorder, it can cause early labor, birth defects, and larger than average infants. Therefore, e ...

, graduated 1927 * Katharine Lloyd-Williams, anaesthetist, graduated 1926 * Margaret Lowenfeld,

child psychologist Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development ...

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome prob ...

and paediatrician, graduated 1918 * Isabella Macdonald Macdonald, graduated in 1888, one of the first few women in the UK to do so *

Helen Mackay Helen Marion Macpherson Mackay (23 May 1891 – 15 July 1965) was a British paediatrician. She made important contributions to the understanding of childhood nutrition and preventive healthcare. Mackay was the first woman fellow of the Royal Co ...

, the first female fellow of the

Flora Murray Flora Murray (8 May 1869 – 28 July 1923)Flora Murray
findagrave.com was a Scottish medical pioneer, ...

, co-founder of Women's Hospital for Children and the Women's Hospital Corps, graduated circa 1895 * Christine Murrell, first female member of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headqua ...

Central Council, graduated 1899 * Doris Lyne Officer, graduated 1921 * Elizabeth Margaret Pace, gynocologist, graduated 1891 *

Sylvia Payne Sylvia May Payne (née Moore; 6 November 1880 – 30 May 1976) was one of the pioneers of psychoanalysis in the United Kingdom. Early life Born as Sylvia May Moore in Marylebone, London, the daughter of Rev. Edward William Moore and his wif ...

, president of the British Psychoanalytical Society * Innes Hope Pearse, co-founder of the Pioneer Health Centre and the Peckham Experiment, graduated 1915 * Gladys Maud Sandes, surgeon, venereologist, and first woman physician at London Lock Hospital, graduated 1922 * Sophia Seekings Friel, one of the first Maternity and Child Welfare Inspectors and co-founder of the Tottenham 'school for mothers' * Edith Shove, graduated 1882 *

Honor Smith Honor Mildred Vivian Smith (13 November 1908 – 18 January 1995) was an English neurologist who specialised in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis. She worked and taught at the teaching hospitals of the University of Oxford, and was appoint ...

, neurologist, graduated 1937 *

Alice Stewart Dr Alice Mary Stewart, ''née'' Naish (4 October 190623 June 2002) was a British physician and epidemiologist specialising in social medicine and the effects of radiation on health. Her study of radiation-induced illness among workers at the ...

, epidemiologist who revolutionized the understanding of radiation risk, graduated 1899 *

Mary Sturge Mary Darby Sturge (16 October 1865 – 14 March 1925) was a British medical doctor, known for her pioneering work with alcoholism and championing the importance of preventative medical care. She is credited as being the second woman doctor in B ...

, graduated 1891 *

Alice Vickery Alice Vickery (also known as A. Vickery Drysdale and A. Drysdale Vickery; 1844 – 12 January 1929) was an English physician, campaigner for women's rights, and the first British woman to qualify as a chemist and pharmacist. She and her life ...

, the first British woman to qualify as chemist and druggist *

Jane Elizabeth Waterston Jane Elizabeth Waterston (1843 – 7 December 1932) was a Scottish teacher and the first woman physician in southern Africa. Inspired by David Livingstone she trained to become a physician and missionary. Prejudice led her to leave Livingstone ...

, in first graduating class, 1880; known as first woman doctor in South Africa. *

Elizabeth Mary Wells Elizabeth Mary Wells (1863–1918), also known as Elizabeth Hooper, was a Roman Catholic British physician and medical missionary. She worked for the Church Missionary Society in Equatorial East Africa, especially in Kahuhia and Jilore.Elizabet ...

, missionary and doctor in East Africa *

Lucy Wills Lucy Wills, LRCP (10 May 1888 – 26 April 1964) was an English haematologist and physician researcher. She conducted research in India in the late 1920s and early 1930s on macrocytic anaemia of pregnancy, a disease which is characterized by ...

, discovered nutritional factor in yeast (folate), which prevented macrocytic anaemia in pregnancy. * Helen Mary Wilson, physician and social campaigner. * Helena Rosa Wright, surgeon, birth control pioneer both in the UK and internationally, graduated 1914

London School of Medicine for Women in the Present Day

While the London School of Medicine for Women faced possible closure on multiple different accounts, the school remained. In 1998, the school of medicine merged with the University College Hospital Medical School; the two combined to make the Royal Free and University College Medical School. This building later housed the British College of Acupuncture and the Hunter Street Health Centre in 2008.

References

;Bibliography * * * * * *

External links

Archives of the Royal Free Hospital

Lists of London School of Medicine for Women studentsThe Global Library of Women's Medicine
{{DEFAULTSORT:London School of Medicine Medical schools in London Former colleges of the University of London History of medicine in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1874 Former women's universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Women in London 1874 establishments in England Women in medicine