Elizabeth Cushier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Cushier
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| Born | November 25, 1837 |
| Died | November 25, 1931 (aged 94) York Cliffs, Maine
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | New York Infirmary for Women and Children |
| Occupation | Physician |
Elizabeth M. Cushier (born 1837, died 1931) was an important doctor. She taught medicine and was a leading obstetrician in New York. An obstetrician is a doctor who helps women when they are pregnant and giving birth. She worked for 25 years before retiring in 1900.
Her Early Years
Elizabeth Cushier was one of eleven children. She went to both public and private schools. She also learned a lot by exploring subjects on her own. She especially loved English literature, the French language, and mathematics. During her childhood, her family lived in both New York and New Jersey.
Becoming a Doctor
In 1872, Dr. Cushier finished her studies at the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. She then spent a year and a half studying more at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. There, she researched histology, which is the study of tiny tissues in the body. This type of research was not open to women in the United States at that time.
After her studies, Dr. Cushier worked at the Infirmary. She became known as a skilled gynecologist and surgeon. A gynecologist is a doctor who specializes in women's health. She also wrote articles for medical journals. She taught at the Women's Medical College and worked with Emily Blackwell. Emily Blackwell was a pioneer who helped women get medical education. Dr. Cushier also had her own private medical practice in New York City. One of her patients was M. Carey Thomas, who became the second president of Bryn Mawr College.
Helping During Wartime
During World War I, Dr. Cushier volunteered for the Red Cross. She helped people in Belgium and France who were affected by the war.
Life with Emily Blackwell
From 1882, Dr. Cushier lived in New York City with Dr. Emily Blackwell. They also lived with a young Irish girl named Nanni, whom Emily Blackwell had adopted in 1871. Another doctor, Mary Putnam Jacobi, wrote about Dr. Cushier in 1888. She said Dr. Cushier was a "remarkable lovely woman" who was "spirited, unselfish, generous and intelligent." She also noted how much Emily Blackwell enjoyed Dr. Cushier's company.
Both Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Cushier retired around 1900. They traveled abroad for about a year and a half. After that, they spent their winters at their home in Montclair, New Jersey. They spent their summers at their summer home near York Cliffs, Maine.
Dr. Blackwell passed away in September 1910. Dr. Cushier said that her death caused "an irreparable break in my life." Dr. Cushier died on November 25, 1931. She is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Elizabeth B. Thelberg, who studied under Dr. Cushier, helped put together the Autobiography of Dr. Elizabeth Cushier (1933). Dr. Cushier's personal papers are kept with the Blackwell Family Papers. These papers are at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University.
