Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was an English doctor in the 1800s. She was the first woman in Britain to become a qualified doctor and surgeon. She lived in a time when women didn’t usually get a formal education and were discouraged from having their own careers. She was a strong, brave woman who was a feminist to the core and worked hard to get a medical degree so she could become a doctor. Elizabeth was born into a wealthy family, and everyone expected her to get married young and take care of a home. But when she met Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in the United States, she decided she wanted to become a doctor herself. Her parents were happy to help her reach her goals and told her to follow her heart. But in Britain in the 1800s, it was unheard of for women to become doctors, and she had to go through a lot to get a good medical education. She worked hard and kept going, and after a long struggle, she was able to become a doctor. After becoming the first woman doctor in Britain, she went on to start the New Hospital for Women in London and was later named dean of the London School of Medicine for Women, which she had helped to start. She was a role model for other women who wanted to become doctors, and she also fought hard for women’s right to vote.
Early years and childhood
Elizabeth Garrett was born in Whitechapel, London, on June 9, 1836. Her parents were Newson Garrett and Louisa Garrett. She was the second child in a family of eleven.
Her father was a pawnbroker at first, but he later became a successful businessman and gave his children a good life.
Her parents were very open-minded and encouraged all of their kids, boys, and girls, to go after what they wanted.
Elizabeth was taught by her mother and a governess when she was young. When she was 13, she went to a boarding school for girls in Blackheath, London. Even though she didn’t like school very much, it taught her to love reading.
Even after she left school, she continued to read a lot and learn new things. She also traveled a lot. On one of her trips, she met Emily Davies, a pioneering feminist who would later help found Girton College in Cambridge, and they became friends. Davies supported Elizabeth’s desire to work outside the home.
During one of her other trips, she met Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America. Blackwell was in England to give a series of talks called “Medicine as a Profession for Women.” Garrett was inspired to become a doctor after she talked to the woman doctor.
At first, her father was against her wanting to become a doctor, but he later changed his mind and gave her his full support.
In Britain at the time, the idea of a woman becoming a doctor was unheard of, so she couldn’t get into any medical school. So, she decided to learn to be a nurse at Middlesex Hospital, where she did a great job. She also had a private tutor teach her anatomy and physiology.
Because she was smart and capable, the male students at the hospital started to feel threatened by her. They told the administration, which made her leave Middlesex Hospital.
She then tried to get into some of the best medical schools, like Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and the Royal College of Surgeons but was turned down everywhere.
She got a certificate in anatomy and physiology on her own, and the Society of Apothecaries finally let her join in 1862. She finally got a license (LSA) to practice medicine from the Society of Apothecaries in 1865, making her the first woman in Britain to be qualified to do so.
Elizabeth Anderson’s Career
Even though Elizabeth Garrett was a qualified doctor, she had trouble finding work because of her gender. Still not giving up, she opened her own practice at the end of 1865.
At first, patients were hesitant to see a female doctor, but over time, more and more of them started to do so. When cholera threatened to spread in Britain, many people went to her clinic out of desperation, putting their prejudices aside.
In 1866, she opened the St. Mary’s Dispensary for Women and Children with the help of her father. In her first year, she took care of more than 3,000 new patients.
She learned French so that she could apply to the University of Sorbonne in Paris, which was more likely to let women study medicine. She got the degree in 1870, but not before she had to deal with some problems.
In 1870, she was also the first woman to be chosen to serve on the London School Board. In 1872, the name of the St. Mary’s Dispensary for Women and Children changed to the New Hospital for Women and Children. Gynecological problems brought women from all over London to the hospital.
In 1874, she worked with other pioneering women doctors and feminists like Sophia Jex-Blake, Emily Blackwell, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Thomas Henry Huxley to start The London School of Medicine for Women, the first medical school in Britain for women. She was also the school’s dean.
She worked as a doctor, but she was also involved in the movement to give women the right to vote. In 1889, she joined the Central Committee of the National Society for Women’s Suffrage.
Works of note
Elizabeth Garrett was the first woman in Britain to get a degree in medicine. By doing this, she set an example for other women who want to become doctors. She had to go through a lot of trouble to become a doctor.
Because of this, she fought for women’s right to get a medical education and helped start the London School of Medicine for Women.
Personal History and Legacies
In 1871, she married successful businessman James George Skelton Anderson and had three children with him. Their marriage was happy, and her husband helped her with her work. Her daughter Louisa also did well for herself as a doctor and a feminist.
Elizabeth Garrett had a long life and died at the age of 81 on December 17, 1917.
In 1918, in her honor, the New Hospital for Women was changed to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital.
Estimated Net worth
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s estimated net worth is $7 million, and her main sources of income are as a politician, physician, and suffragist. We don’t know enough about Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s cars or about her lifestyle.