
"Today's date is the anniversary of Elizabeth Blackwell; a Bristol woman of veritable Victorian spirit who was born in 1821 and died in 1910. In a male-dominated world, she fought the prejudices of the male medical profession to follow her vocation. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, as well as being the first woman on the UK Medical Register. She was the first openly-identified woman to graduate from medical school, a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine in the United States, and a social and moral reformer in both the United States and in England. She is a classic heroine of the feminist movement —the Bristol girl who fought prejudice and hostility to become the world’s first qualified woman doctor. She was born in Counterslip Bristol in 1821, the daughter of a sugar refiner and anti-slavery campaigner who had advanced beliefs about educating girls. Long before The Spice Girls came on the scene, Elizabeth had delivered her own brand of 'girl power' to the masses of her followers." William Forde: February 3rd, 2012.