Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/189

 BLACKWELL

BLACKWELL

Dr. Blackman was a large contributor to medical literature. At one time he was editor of the " Western Lancet," and afterwards one of the editors of the " Cin- cinnati Journal of Medicine."

He translated and edited " Vidal on Venereal Diseases" and " Velpeau's Operative Surgery." He was author, in connection with Dr. C. A. Tripler, army surgeon, of a "Hand-book on Military Surgery." He did not leave any original work of great importance, al- though for several years he was engaged on a work on the "Principles and Practice of Surgery." At the time of his death he was engaged with the Hon. Stanley Mathews on a work entitled "Legal Liability in Surgical Malpractice." For many years he was on the staffs of the Commercial (now Cincinnati) and the Good Samaritan Hospitals.

In the spring of 1856 Dr. Blackman did an ovariotomy at my father's house, in Covington, Kentucky, removing a twenty-two pound cyst which had pre- viously been repeatedly tapped. Forty years later the lady was still sounding his praises as the greatest of surgeons.

In the following year (session of 1866- 7) he twice did Amussat's operation — artificial anus — for cancer of the rec- tum. One of these patients lived several months.

In 1S55 he married Agnes Addington of New York and had two sons and a daughter. He died at Avondale, Cin- cinnati, July 17, 1871. A. G. D.

Cinn'ti Medical Observer, xiv, 1871.

Cinn'ti Medical Observer, xv, 1872.

Transactions Ohio State Medical Society,

1872.

Boston Med. and Surj;. Journal, vol. Ixxxv,

1871.

Transactions American Medical Ass...

1873.

Blackwell, Elizabeth (1821-1910).

Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree, was born in Bristol, England, February 3, 1821, the daughter of Samuel Blackwell, a sugar refiner of progressive ideas and prepos- sessed in favor of the American institu-

tions. In 1S32 he settled in New York with his family, and being the only man in America who then understood the process of refining sugar by the use of vacuum pans, he was in a fair way to make a fortune. But his refinery was burned, and in 1838 he moved to Cin- cinnati, partly with the hope of intro- ducing the cultivation of beet sugar, and thereby dealing a severe blow at slavery by making the slave-grown cane- sugar unprofitable. But he died soon after, leaving his family dependent upon their own exertions. The mother and the three oldest daughters opened a school, and Elizabeth's uncommon strength of character showed itself in her good disci- pline. The family continued their anti- slavery work and threw themselves ar- dently into the movement for the higher education of women.

When the brothers were old enough to go into business the school was given up, and Elizabeth went to Henderson, Ken- tucky, to teach a district school. She astonished the southern ladies by her courage in taking long walks through the woods when they were afraid of negroes and the savage dogs which abounded.

She was led to turn her attention to medicine through the severe illness of a woman friend. Medicine in itself was not attractive, but she believed there was need of women physicians. She wrote to several physicians about her plan and their replies were that the idea was good, but impossible. In 1845 she went to teach at Asheville, Nova Scotia, in the school kept by the Rev. John Dickson, who had previously been a doctor. Here she studied medicine privately, earning money by teaching. In 1847 she went to Phila- delphia, studied anatomy under Dr. Allen, and applied for admission to each of the four medical colleges of that city, but in vain.

Applications to the large medical schools of New York also proving un- successful, she sent requests to twelve of the country colleges. Geneva consented. The medical class there of 150 students was composed of a riotous, boisterous,