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Elizabeth Blackwell

Did you know that I was the first woman doctor? Hi, I'm Elizabeth Blackwell and I was born on February 3rd,1821 near Bristol, England. My family and I moved to America in 1832 and after a few years,we moved to Ohio. My father moved us from New York, first,then to New Jersey, and after that to Cincinnati.

A tutor taught my siblings and me every day. I was a teacher with my mom and two older sisters. I also graduated in 1849 at Geneva Medical College, first in my class. Another thing I did was that I went to Henderson, Kentucky as a teacher, and then to North and South Carolina, where I taught school, while reading medicine privately.

In my family, I had eight brothers and sisters. My mom's name was Hannah and my dad's name was Samuel. My two older sisters' names were Anna and Marian.My dad died in Cincinnati in 1838. I was 17 when he died. I adopted an orphan, Katharine Berry, known as Kitty.

One of my most famous accomplishments was I got an application to Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York and I later graduated in 1849 as the first woman doctor. Another accomplishment was that I was a pioneer in educating women in medicine. Also, I wrote books and papers on health and education.

I was famous for becoming a leading health activist during my lifetime, and also becoming the first woman doctor to graduate from medical school.

Some facts about me are that I knew I would be the first woman doctor after a sick friend wished there were some. After I died, I had a statue of myself holding a book sitting in a chair and thinking. Another fact was I met and became friends with Florence Nightangle. I also decided to avoid marriage. The last interesting fact that was that my sister, Emily Blackwell, also pursued a medical career.

Some conditions of being a lady doctor were that most schools didn't allow female students. People turned away and insulted when they saw me. I also faced criticism from fellow students and general public.

I suffered a serious eye infection which left me blind in one eye and I retired after a serious fall down the stairs. I died at my home on May 31, 1910 of a stroke at age of 89 years. I was buried in the churchyard at the village of Kilmun, under the shadows of the Scottish mountains.

Thank you for listening to my speech.