If you have ever wondered who paved the way for the many 21st century women studying medicine in Edinburgh, this talk will answer some of your questions. Over 300 brave women took the intellectual argument for women to practice medicine personally: they persuaded their parents, used inheritances and studied hard to realise their dreams. They broke out of the accepted occupations available to educated women at the time. On their way, they had to overcome hostilities of powerful male doctors. Though medical degrees were open to them from 1892, the Principal of the University of Edinburgh, for example, still prevented their access to university training courses until 1916. This richly illustrated talk will bring their stories to life using their own words whenever possible to show the difficulties but also the rewards of their chosen careers.
Roger Jeffery is Professor Emeritus of Sociology of South Asia, University of Edinburgh. His academic publications focused on public health and health policy, especially maternal and reproductive health, access to medicines, and the organisation of clinical trials. Since 2015, he has been researching the ‘footprint’ of India in the city of Edinburgh, and the lives of women who qualified as doctors in the UK between 1877 and 1914. He recently edited India in Edinburgh, (New Delhi, Abingdon and New York, 2019).
Online stream available
