Emily Blackwell (1826-1910) was a pioneer in the field of medicine. She co-founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857 and served for three decades as head of its medical school.

Although she lived most of her life in the shadow of her older sister, Emily Blackwell made significant contributions of her own to the world of medicine and medical education. Those who knew and worked with her described her as a superb practitioner and an inspirational teacher. The high professional standards Blackwell set for herself and her students were in large part responsible for opening the medical field to women and convincing an often skeptical---and sometimes hostile---public to accept the idea of female physicians.

An Unconventional Childhood

The sixth of nine surviving children born to Samuel and Hannah Lane Blackwell on October 8, 1826, Emily Blackwell spent her early years in the bustling commercial and industrial seaport...