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The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine
The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine | Janice P. Nimura
27 posts | 15 read | 27 to read
One of Apple's Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2021 "Janice P. Nimura has resurrected Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell in all their feisty, thrilling, trailblazing splendor." Stacy Schiff Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for a mission beyond the scope of "ordinary" womanhood. Though the world at first recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity ultimately won her the acceptance of the male medical establishment. In 1849, she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. She was soon joined in her iconic achievement by her younger sister, Emily, who was actually the more brilliant physician. Exploring the sisters allies, enemies, and enduring partnership, Janice P. Nimura presents a story of trial and triumph. Together, the Blackwells founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first hospital staffed entirely by women. Both sisters were tenacious and visionary, but their convictions did not always align with the emergence of womens rightsor with each other. From Bristol, Paris, and Edinburgh to the rising cities of antebellum America, this richly researched new biography celebrates two complicated pioneers who exploded the limits of possibility for women in medicine. As Elizabeth herself predicted, "a hundred years hence, women will not be what they are now."
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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

It‘s definitely an interesting story but you have to be in the mind set to read (I also listened to some of it on audio to get through it). It‘s very detailed. I did find it fascinating to know that how one went to medical school initially was not based on academics but on your ability to pay. Elizabeth & then Emily had to push back on many expectations of the time to accomplish what they did. Good but low pick. #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! 8mo
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DivineDiana
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Pickpick

I found this book fascinating! Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman Medical Doctor,was brilliant,focused and determined to achieve a medical degree. She encouraged her younger sister to join her,and they opened a medical school for women in New York City. They also started a hospital for women,staffed by women in 1857. The courage and tenacity of Elizabeth Blackwell was exceptional. Neither sister married. Medicine was their passion. Trailblazers!

DivineDiana Image: An 1870 newspaper illustration of Elizabeth Blackwell giving an anatomy lecture alongside a corpse at the Woman‘s Medical College of New York Infirmary. 2y
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DivineDiana
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Just started this book on audio while waiting for physical book reserve from the library. IRL Book Club read.

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Sresendez12
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Mehso-so

I really wanted to love this one. I had never heard of Elizabeth Blackwell (the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States), so I thought I would be so interested in this book. I just found it hard to keep picking it up. The Information was good, but something was missing #aboutsisters #booked2022

Cinfhen Cool choice! I wanted to read this one too, but I saw other reviews who felt the same way as you. 3y
23 likes1 comment
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wanderinglynn
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#wondrouswednesday

1. It‘s hard to only pick 3, but the first 3 I think of are Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, & Robin Hobb

2. Inigo Montoya, Veruca Salt, Holly Golightly, Sherlock Holmes, Ramona Qumby, Victor Frankenstein, Tristram Shandy

3. Tagged

Thanks for the tag Sherri! 🥰

vivastory Veruca Salt is a great character name. I also like the band. 3y
wanderinglynn @vivastory me too! 🎶 3y
slategreyskies I‘ve always loved Holly Golightly! :) 3y
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wanderinglynn @slategreyskies I always thought she was such an interesting character and I love the movie adaptation with Audrey Hepburn. 3y
Leftcoastzen Back in the days when phone books were thick, there was a Holly Golightly in the San Francisco phone book!😸 3y
Eggs Thanks for joining in 👏🏻📚👍🏼 3y
weirdono.0964 1. Rick Riordan, Madeline Miller, J. K. Rowling. They're all amazing.
2. I think Nico di Angelo is a very unique character name. Or maybe I'm just biased, since I love him too much.
3. The last book I added to my TBR was the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
3y
wanderinglynn @weirdono.0964 Awesome! But you should take a screenshot of the image and post this yourself. 👍🏻 3y
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mrsmarch
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Finished all these books plus the tagged book. Have a few days left in the month — what should I read next? #bookspin

DivineDiana That‘s quite an accomplishment! 3y
Avanders 😳 Have…. You read 3y
mrsmarch @Avanders Not yet! I get excited every time I see it but I‘m not sure it‘s up my alley. 🤔 3y
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Avanders Lol I would also get excited 🤓😁 It‘s like a … psychological mystery - atmospheric and heady. If that‘s your thing… 🤷🏽‍♀️☺️ 3y
Avanders 😁 prob not your top choice then 😘 3y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
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Jen2
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Pickpick

Very interesting

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mrsmarch
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20142021. We were headed to Maryland & had to find out whether Bunny fit in Amy‘s old travel “pop” crate. I‘m pretty sure Bun & Amy are about the same size….but when Bunny went & laid in the pop crate, her legs stuck out the front. 😭 My mother says Bunny is bigger than she thinks, and Amy was smaller that she thought. I‘m still pretty sure they‘re close to the same size…even tho Bunny is 20 lbs heavier.

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mrsmarch
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#litsysummercamp #takeahike I‘m not a hiker, but I love to look at mountains. My favorite mountains to date are the Santa Monicas in California, but later this year I‘ll be seeing the Blue Ridge Mtns (pic here from Roanoke VA tourist website) for the first time. The mountains that my mother‘s people called home, which I think have been calling to me.

mrsmarch A book about a very arduous hike: 3y
ImperfectCJ My paternal grandmother's family are from the Blue Ridge mountains in western NC (settled there from Germany in the late 17th century) and my great-aunt lived in Roanoke, VA, for years and years. It's a place that always feels like home to me. I hope you have a lovely trip there! 3y
mrsmarch @ImperfectCJ my mom & I are flying in to Charlotte NC & driving to Lexington VA! Roanoke is one of our planned stops to find the grave of my 4th great grandmother, as is Eagle Rock. We‘ve never been! I‘m chomping at the bit! 3y
Kenyazero Beautiful! 3y
ValerieAndBooks My son attends W&L in Lexington VA! It‘s beautiful out there. Lots of history all around, also. 3y
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mrsmarch
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#litsysummercamp Day 4. I thought I was alone here at Foxbolt, but I hear voices in other rooms & have glimpsed one or two other travelers. In the front room, a delightfully mismatched couple has spent evenings by the cheerful fire, laughing & singing, he in German & she in English, knitting & whittling; while in the dining room, a quiet Scottish couple converse in whispers over their drams. ⬇️

mrsmarch ➡️ Going down the trail to the pond hidden in the forest, I‘ve seen from my window a lanky young man stride, whistling to himself, with a journal under his arm & a pencil behind his ear; & in the lodge‘s kitchen garden, a quiet woman paces the rows, deftly & smartly, without any hesitation, pruning here & weeding there — the plants seem to yearn toward her & visibly grow as she passes. She exudes an air of preoccupation, as though in mourning. (edited) 3y
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mrsmarch
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IRL it was an overwhelmingly busy & hot blazing day, but in my mind I‘ve checked in to Foxbolt Lodge under a pseudonym — Mrs Sempronia Woodbine. Instead of being oppressively hot, the lodge is wrapped in a cool, shady fog: excellent cuppa tea weather. I might be the lodge‘s only current guest; I‘ve seen no one and can only faintly hear the sounds of the staff. I‘m taking tea and pudding in my room. Current audiobook tagged. #litsysummercamp #Day2

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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

This book aligned nicely with my recent read of Ambrose Parry‘s The Art of Dying. The Doctors Blackwell is an interesting read about 19th-century medicine beyond Nightingale and Lister.

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Amiable
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Got up early to finish this library book. Sustenance will help.

REVIEW: An interesting look at the lives of Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, pioneers of women in medicine. I enjoyed learning about them, but I was put off by their attitudes towards other women and their dismissal of women‘s suffrage. The Blackwell sisters seemed to be difficult people to like, despite their accomplishments.

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Amiable
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Don‘t tell my yoga instructor (shh!), but on the days when I can‘t quiet my mind I read while holding long poses in yin to distract myself from feeling uncomfortable. 😬

#Summer2021 giveaway
Read while exercising

Mitch We won‘t tell! 3y
Cathythoughts Not a word 🤐. ( sounds like a good idea … 3y
48 likes2 comments
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Amiable
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1. Currently reading the tagged book about Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, the first female M.D.s in the U.S. Also reading “Washington‘s Spies,” which is about the Culper Ring during the Revolutionary War.
2. 👍🏼👍🏼 I never knew about the connection between Elizabeth Blackwell and Florence Nightingale—fascinating!
3. Narrative nonfiction. I love it!

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs
#wondrouswednesday

Eggs # 2: I‘m intrigued! Thanks for joining in 👏🏻📚🤗📖 3y
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Amiable
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Enjoying a nice quiet morning read before the hubby gets home from work and I have to get up. Another entry for the #Summer2021 giveaway hosted by @Lauram !
“Read in bed”

Lauram Looks like a perfect Monday morning! 3y
Nute I use to think that my favorite reading time was late night after everyone has drifted off to sleep, but now I know that enjoy early morning reading time before everyone has awakened a whole lot more.🙂 3y
Amiable @Nute Yes! I discovered my love for early-morning reading last year, when I was working remotely during the pandemic. I missed my commute reading, so I started getting up early to read before logging onto my computer. Now I‘m hooked. 🙂 3y
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Amiable @Lauram I love holidays! I took tomorrow off, so this will likely be my Tuesday morning too. 😀 3y
Nute A perfect moment! Continue to enjoy every day, Ms. Amy!💕 3y
Amiable @Nute You too, Kimberley! 💝 3y
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Amiable
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Another entry into @Lauram ‘s #Summer2021 giveaway: Read with a Family Pet. Does the pet have to enjoy it as much as I do, Laura? Because I think we‘re failing at that. 😀

tracey38 😂🐈‍⬛ 3y
Lauram 😍 3y
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

@Hooked_on_books is right. This provides a lot of nuance to the story of the story of the Blackwell sisters. I found myself relating more to Emily‘s love of patient care rather than Elizabeth‘s determination to educate more women. (I wonder if Elizabeth‘s reluctance had to do with an infection that cost her an eye during training.) I did not know that both sisters taught schoolchildren within 30 miles of me (and hated doing it) before ⬇️

Megabooks ⬆️ attending medical school. Overall I was impressed by the lengths both women went to to attain their degrees. I‘d definitely recommend this for a deeper understanding of their story. #audiobook 4y
Cinfhen After reading your review and @Hooked_on_books I think im taking a pass😆too many other books I want to read!!! 4y
Hooked_on_books Oh man, Cindy, you‘ll be missing out! But frankly, this is a bit of a niche book, so I understand someone passing on it for other fare. Glad you liked it, Meg! @Cinfhen 4y
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Megabooks @Cinfhen I agree with @Hooked_on_books that you‘re missing out on an interesting piece of history, but I can also see why Holly and I would find it more interesting. Thanks for getting this off the TBR pile, Holly!! 4y
Hooked_on_books 👏🏼👍🏼 4y
Cinfhen I‘ll keep it on my #MaybeSomeday list @Hooked_on_books @Megabooks ❤️ 4y
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Elizabeth Blackwell was a hero to me as a child and I‘m glad I read about her later in life when I have a better understanding of nuance, as she‘s not tremendously likable. But that doesn‘t make her, her sister, or this book any less interesting. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the opportunity to learn about these remarkable women. The audio isn‘t fabulous but not bad, either.

Megabooks I‘d been sitting on the fence about this, but it‘s going on the TBR! 4y
Hooked_on_books @Megabooks It‘s totally worth it! 4y
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JenniferP
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Pickpick

Loved this book about the first woman to hold a medical degree in America, Elizabeth Blackwell, and her sister, Emily, who followed in her footsteps. Also, it was a lovely spring day for baseball practice!

BarbaraBB Great cover too! 4y
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JenniferP
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Next nonfiction book up and a good one for #womenshistorymonth

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Floresj
Panpan

Although I‘m impressed and appreciative of the lives and work of these women, I found this book to be dry. I didn‘t really like Elizabeth Blackwell. Some party‘s were interesting, but it just wasn‘t the book for me.

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sarahljensen
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I need to put more biographies about women in my TBR pile.

#catsoflitsy #litsycats

BookishMarginalia Kitty! 💜 4y
rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 4y
cozypunk 👀 4y
33 likes3 comments
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sarahljensen
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I'm still getting on with this one. It's reminding me how much I enjoy reading about the lives of women.

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sarahljensen
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Found this at the library and couldn't believe my luck. It's not Popova's Figuring, but it's hitting some of the biographical notes for me. Also I'm filling in some more details in my understanding of the whole Brook Farm experiment because one of the sisters was there at the end. Anyway... I'm very pleased over here.

Erinsuereads That cat looks like it means business 4y
sarahljensen @ErinSueMreads Oh, yes. He's in charge around here 4y
AmyG He is so cute 💕 4y
sarahljensen @AmyG ♥️🐈♥️ 4y
Erinsuereads Aren't they all 🤣🤣 4y
31 likes5 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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This new biography of the Blackwell sisters is calling my name! #TBRtemptation

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/01/the-blackwell-sisters-and-the-harr...

CSeydel Ooh yes please! 4y
arubabookwoman My kids went to Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary school, (many years ago), which was the first time I had heard of her. It was a new school with the name voted on by district parents with the proviso that all the elementary schools in the District are named for pioneering women. Others include Margaret Mead, Christa MacAullife, and Emily Dickenson. 4y
Moray_Reads I've never heard of the Blackwell's but medical history plus women breaking down barriers? I'm in! 4y
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Mitch
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Day 1 and already so many great new books! Well done 2021!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/books/january-2021-books.html?campaign_id=69&...

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