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 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 ...

, who campaigned and succeeded in securing the right by statute for women to be educated to qualify as doctors. An exemplary Victorian, Thorne's dedication to duty and service was a precursor for the more violent campaigns of the suffragettes to achieve full enfranchisement for women.

Early life

She was born Isabel Jane Pryer on 22 September 1834 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 third daughter of Isabel (1812–1884) and Thomas Pryer (1810/11–1851), a solicitor. She was educated at

Queen's College, London Queen's College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. It was founded in 1848 by theologian and social ...

. On 12 August 1856 she married Joseph Thorne (1823–1885), a tea merchant in China and spent most of her early married life in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. The couple are believed to have had five children, including: Isobel (born 1860; became an art student), May (born Mary in 1861, who became a surgeon after supporting her mother in her campaigns); and Dr Atwood Thorne, surgeon to the London Throat Hospital. While living in Shanghai one of her children died which inspired her to travel to China and India to help women and children.

Medical career

Thorne became convinced of the need for women to have female doctors for themselves and their children, especially women living in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. She travelled through China during the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

. When the family returned to England in 1868 she started

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

training at the

Ladies' Medical College The Ladies' Medical College (renamed The Obstetrical College for Women) was a short-lived English medical college for women, established in 1864 by the Female Medical Society. It offered courses in midwifery and diseases associated with women and c ...

Fitzroy Square Fitzroy Square is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square, square in London, England. It is the only one in the central London area known as Fitzrovia. The square is one of the area's main features, this once led to the surrounding di ...

, London, later describing the teaching there as inadequate. Soon she responded to

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 ...

's advertisement calling for women to join her in an attempt to qualify as doctors 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 ...

and so Thorne became one of the

( Mary Anderson,

Emily Bovell Emily Bovell (21 February 1841–April 1885) was a Scottish physician and credited as one of the original members of the Edinburgh Seven. After qualification she worked at the New Hospital for Women in Marylebone Road, London and in Paris. The ...

, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans,

Edith Pechey Mary Edith Pechey (7 October 1845 – 14 April 1908) was one of the first women medical doctors in the United Kingdom and a campaigner for women's rights. She spent more than 20 years in India as a senior doctor at a women's hospital and was ...

as well as Thorne). During this time, she won first prize in an

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

examination. After their attempt to graduate in medicine was blocked, Thorne was one of the women who re-grouped at the

London School of Medicine for Women The London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW) established in 1874 was the first medical school in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain to train women as doctors. The patrons, vice-presidents, and members of the committee that supp ...

. Her diplomatic temperament meant she was a more acceptable honorary secretary than Jex-Blake whose nomination had threatened to stir up controversy. In 1876 an act of parliament made it possible for women to be admitted to examination in medicine. The

that set up the

(LSMW) asked Thorne, who agreed to hold the position of Honorary Secretary from 12 June 1877 – 1908, and a seat on the executive, although she never actually qualified in medicine. Thorne gave up her own ambition to be a doctor in order to commit herself to helping the school run smoothly; to become more solidly established. But Dr Lucy Sewall had once written that of all the students at Edinburgh, Isabel Thorne was one most likely to make the best doctor. She was considerate, tactful, hard-working, industrious, and for 30 years the mainstay of the college administration. Mrs Thorne kept records and wrote an account of these years which was published in 1905 as ''Sketch of the Foundation and Development of the London School of Medicine for Women''. In 1908 her daughter, the surgeon May Thorne who had graduated from the LSMW in 1895, succeeded her as honorary secretary. Thorne died at her home at 148

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

Recognition

The

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

’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.

Own publications

*Employment for Educated Women, Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions 867 vol.37, no.271 (1906), pp. 257–8 *Sketch of the Formation and Development of the London School of Medicine (1905)

References

;Bibliography *Special Collections, Edinburgh University Library *Royal Free Hospital Archives *The British Medical Times, 17 August 1867 * * * *

External links

''Sketch of the foundation and development of the London School of Medicine'' by Isabel ThorneNotice of death of Isabel Thorne, ''The British Medical Journal'', week of 15 October 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Isabel English medical writers Women medical writers Writers from London British midwives 1834 births 1910 deaths British expatriates in China Alumni of the University of Edinburgh