Upstate acquires table, chair owned by Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, the first women to earn an MD in the United States
A table and chair dating back to the 1850s that had been owned by Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, has been acquired by Upstate Medical University.
Blackwell, who was born in Bristol, England, is the first woman in America to earn a medical degree. She earned her medical degree in 1849 from Geneva College of Medicine, which today is SUNY Upstate Medical University.
According to a great nephew of Blackwell’s, the chair and a pier table were among the furnishings in Blackwell’s house in Hastings, England.
Noting that these items could have some greater significance to Blackwell’s medical school, a family who had possession of these items contacted Paul Norcross, Upstate executive director of Medical Alumni Foundation, this summer and donated the items to campus.
Other items in the Blackwell collection at Upstate’s Health Sciences Library include copies of speeches Blackwell gave, including her 1869 address to the Woman’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary.
Upstate President Mantosh Dewan, MD, unveiled the Blackwell furnishings today in the lobby of Weiskotten Hall.
"I’m hoping everyday this will be a reminder of somebody who did spectacular work against all odds,” Dewan said. “And the fact that for over 175 years Upstate [and its predecessors, Geneva Medical College, Syracuse University] has always welcomed all people irrespective of who you are and where you’re coming from. That is a commitment that we need to redo today.”
This January, will be the 175th anniversary of Elizabeth Blackwell becoming Dr Blackwell. Her graduation in many ways also marks the 175th anniversary of coed medical education, a milestone that Upstate will celebrate in many ways this fall and in the upcoming year.
The items are on display in the Weiskotten Hall foyer adjacent to the Medical Alumni Auditorium entrance.
Caption: Upstate President Mantosh Dewan, MD, and Medical Alumni Foundation Excutive Director Paul Norcross admire the Blackwell furnishings, which were donated to the university. Blackwell's portrait hangs on the wall behind the table and chair.
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