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Emily Bovell (21 February 1841–April 1885) was a Scottish
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
and credited as one of the original members of the
Edinburgh Seven The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although the Court of Session ruled that they should neve ...
. After qualification she worked at the New Hospital for Women in Marylebone Road, London and in Paris. The French government award her the Officier des Ordre des Palmes Académiques for services to medicine. Her husband was the
neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...
William Allen Sturge.


Early life and education

Bovell was born on 21 February 1841 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the daughter of Sarah Louisa (''née'' Jones) and John Roach Bovell (1803–1852). She was educated at Queens College, London, where she stayed on for a time as a mathematical tutor. Other contemporary students of Queen's College include
Sophia Jex-Blake Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake (21 January 1840 – 7 January 1912) was an English physician, teacher, and feminism, feminist. She led the campaign to secure women access to a university education, when she began studying medicine at the Universit ...
, who she later studied with at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
. Although credited as one of the 'Edinburgh Seven', ( Mary Anderson, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans,
Sophia Jex-Blake Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake (21 January 1840 – 7 January 1912) was an English physician, teacher, and feminism, feminist. She led the campaign to secure women access to a university education, when she began studying medicine at the Universit ...
, Edith Pechey and Isabel Thorne) her name is absent from the 1869 matriculation records, and the University of Edinburgh Class Prize lists for the 1869/70 academic year (the other women students are listed there). In late 1870 she won a scholarship sponsored by
Katharine Russell, Viscountess Amberley Katharine "Kate" Louisa Russell, Viscountess Amberley ( Stanley; 3 April 1842 – 28 June 1874) was a British women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, suffragist and an early advocate of birth control in the United Kingdom. A member of th ...
, and her obituary states that she joined Sophia Jex-Blake and others at the University of Edinburgh to study medicine in 1871. In 1873 she moved to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to continue her studies, when it was no longer possible to continue at Edinburgh, and eventually qualified as a doctor in Paris in 1877. The subject of her medical thesis was "Congestive Phenomena following Epileptic and Hystero-epilectic Fits"


Career

She met her husband, the physician William Allen Sturge in Paris in 1877, and they returned to London together, marrying on 27 September at St Saviour's Church in Paddington. Thereafter they set up a practice together in Wimpole Street, and Bovell renewed her relationship with Queen's College, lecturing on
physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
and
hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
, and running ambulance classes for women. Her husband was a strong supporter of her professional career, and the cause of women's medical education in general. Five of his sisters had campaigned for women's higher education including Emily Sturge. In recognition of her contribution to the medical profession, in 1880 she was nominated by the French Government for the Officier d'Academie, an award rarely conferred on women. In 1881, in consequence of her poor health, she and her husband gave up their practice in London, and moved to Nice. Bovell established her own practice in Nice and as the first woman doctor she gained a good number of female patients. She was made welcome in Nice and she campaigned to improve public health and to improve the sewers.


Death and legacy

In 1884, her lung complaint became more serious, and in early April 1885 she died. She is buried in Sainte Marguerite Cemetery in Nice, France. Her husband created a laboratory at Queen's College Harley Street which he named the Bovell-Sturge laboratory. The
Edinburgh Seven The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although the Court of Session ruled that they should neve ...
are remembered in literature and history and they have a plaque in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Seven were awarded the posthumous honorary
MBChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...
at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
’s McEwan Hall on Saturday 6 July 2019. The degrees were collected on their behalf by a group of current students at
Edinburgh Medical School The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was esta ...
. The graduation was the first of a series of events planned by the University of Edinburgh to commemorate the achievements and significance of the Edinburgh Seven.


Awards and honours

* Ordre des Palmes académiques


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bovell, Emily Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 1841 births 1885 deaths 19th-century Scottish women medical doctors