Sophia Jex-Blake

In a society that valued modesty, where women refrained from seeking treatment from male doctors for some medical problems, SJB saw a need for women doctors. Through extensive conflict, she became the third woman to have her name on the British Medical Registry. However, unlike Elizabeth Blackwell , who sought education in America, and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson , who received her degree through regulatory loopholes that soon closed, SJB directly pressured the universities and parliament, through her writings and through direct action, to admit women to both medical education and the practice of medicine. Her published works include essays on medical history and medical practice, on infection and childcare, and powerful arguments for ending the male monopoly. Her success paved the way for women to become doctors in England and Scotland on the same formal terms as men.