Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women facts for kids
The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was a special school for women who wanted to become doctors. Sophia Jex-Blake started it in Edinburgh, Scotland, in October 1886. She had help from a group called the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women. Sophia Jex-Blake was both the leader and the head of the school.
The first group of women to study there had eight students. The youngest student was nineteen years old. The school faced money problems during its twelve years of operation. Another school, the Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women, was started by Elsie Inglis and her father, John Inglis. This new school attracted some of Jex-Blake's students, like Martha Cadell and Grace Cadell. Other colleges in Glasgow also began to accept women. When Scottish universities finally allowed women to study medicine, the Edinburgh School of Medicine could no longer compete. It closed in 1898. About eighty female students studied at the school over twelve years. Thirty-three of them finished their full medical training there. Many others chose to complete their education at different places.
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Who Was Sophia Jex-Blake?
Sophia Jex-Blake was a brave pioneer for women in medicine. She first tried to get into a medical program by asking Professor JJ Balfour for permission. He was the head of the Medical Faculty at the University of Edinburgh. The university faculty then voted on whether to let Sophia and other women into their medical program.
Some faculty members supported her. They thought women could study medicine, but only in fields like childbirth and women's health. However, others did not want women to study medicine at all. They believed women were not as smart as men. One person, Robert Christison, thought that allowing women to study medicine would make the field less respected. He felt women were too weak for the tough medical courses. Despite some opposition, the faculty voted to let Sophia Jex-Blake into the program.
Sophia Jex-Blake's admission caused a lot of debate. After the vote, a man named Claud Murihead, who worked at the Royal Infirmary, tried to stop her admission. About 200 students signed a petition to support Murihead. This led to the university changing its mind. They decided that men and women should be taught separately. They argued it would be too expensive to offer special classes for just one female student.
But Sophia did not give up. Her friend and supporter, David Masson, argued her case. He said that if more women enrolled, the cost of separate classes would be worth it. With more female students, the university could afford to teach women separately. David Russel, who edited a local newspaper called The Scotsman, was also Sophia's friend. He published the story about the admissions debate and Masson's idea. Inspired by Sophia, more women applied to the University of Edinburgh Medical College.
Meet the "Edinburgh Seven"
After many years of refusing women, some teachers in Edinburgh finally accepted female students. The "Edinburgh Seven" were the first women allowed into the medical program in 1869. This group included Sophia Jex-Blake, Isabel Thorne, Edith Pechey, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Mary Anderson, and Emily Bovell.
However, getting accepted was just the start of their challenges. The Edinburgh Seven had to pay higher fees than male students. This was because their class sizes were smaller. Also, the university allowed teachers to teach women, but it wasn't a rule. Professors could refuse to teach female students if they wanted to. So, these women had to arrange their own classes instead of being assigned them. Even though their courses were the same, their all-female classes were graded differently. This made it harder for them to get scholarships.
The grading rules and limited classes were not their only problems. The male students at the university were unhappy that women were allowed in. They often acted aggressively and bothered the female students on campus. The tension grew into a violent event. When the women arrived for an anatomy exam, male students threw mud at them. Local newspapers reported this riot, which made the public support the female students. However, the violence scared the university. They decided to rethink allowing women into the medical program. In the end, the university took back the women's admission, and they were removed from the program in the middle of their studies.
Why the School Was Started
As more opportunities for medical education opened up for women, Sophia Jex-Blake decided to start her own medical college. She first told the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women about her plan. She wanted to open a school just for women. Before getting official permission, Jex-Blake began looking for students and telling people about her new program. Sophia Jex-Blake wanted her school to help the local community in Edinburgh. So, she did not include the cost of housing in the tuition fees. She thought most students would live at home in the Edinburgh area.
School History and Challenges
It had been ten years since the first women in the UK became licensed doctors. It would be another six years before Scottish universities would finally admit women students. Jex-Blake had friends and rivals in Edinburgh from her earlier unsuccessful attempt to get the University of Edinburgh to teach women in their medical school.
Classes for the new school took place in Surgeons' Square. The Royal Infirmary, which was the main teaching hospital, still refused to accept women students. They said it would be too much work for the hospital staff to make special arrangements for female students. This was because it was the main place for male students to get practical training. Because of this, Jex-Blake had to find another place for her students to learn. She arranged for them to get clinical training at Leith Hospital.
The School Closes
Jex-Blake was very strict about rules, which caused problems. She had high expectations for her students. She set clear rules for how students should behave during classes, exams, and hospital training. The tough academic demands and her strict personality created tension between her and the students.
This tension reached a peak when Jex-Blake expelled two sisters, Ina (Martha Georgina) and Grace Cadell, without good reason. The sisters won a court case against their expulsion. This bad news meant that both the school and Jex-Blake lost support. Some students moved to Glasgow, London, and Dublin. These were the only other places in Great Britain or Ireland where women could study medicine at that time.
Elsie Inglis left the school. With help from her father John Inglis, and the Cadell sisters, Ina and Grace, she started a new school nearby. This was the Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women. Jex-Blake wanted to be involved there too, but she faced resistance. Her relationship with Leith Hospital also became difficult. Soon, female students would be allowed to get practical experience at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which had previously been closed to them.
In 1892, Scottish universities finally opened their doors to women. The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women continued for a few more years. It advertised "Science Classes for Ladies" in subjects like botany, zoology, and chemistry. The school was always struggling with money. Jex-Blake applied for scholarships to help the school. The National Association for Promoting Medical Education for Women and some missionary groups also helped fund it. However, competing with the college started by Inglis and the Cadell sisters was hard. In 1897, Jex-Blake herself was very tired. The school closed the next year. It had educated about 80 women from Great Britain, India, and other places. Thirty-three of them completed the full medical course.
Jessie MacLaren MacGregor was one of the students who stayed for the whole course. She did very well in her exams. For many years, she worked as a doctor with Elsie Inglis. Later, she became a medical officer at Bruntsfield Hospital, which was the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children.
In December 1909, the Royal College of Surgeons of England decided to allow women to take their exams. They added the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women to their list of recognized medical schools.
Important People at the School
Notable Lecturers
- John William Ballantyne: He was an obstetrician (a doctor who helps with childbirth). He taught midwifery from 1890 to 1916.
Notable Students
- Margaret Ida Balfour: A doctor who worked to improve women's health in India.
- Mona Chalmers Watson: She was the first woman to earn an M.D. degree from the University of Edinburgh. She also became the first Chief Controller of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, a women's army group.
- Jessie MacLaren MacGregor: She was the second woman to earn an M.D. degree from the University of Edinburgh. With Elsie Inglis, she helped start Muir Hall of Residence for Women Students in Edinburgh and the Hospice.
- Annie Wardlaw Jagannadham: She was the first Indian woman to be registered to practice medicine in Scotland.
