ABSTRACT
Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912) was an English physician and teacher. She was one of the first women to qualify in medicine in the United Kingdom. After a long struggle, she eventually convinced Edinburgh Medical School to accept her as a student. There she attended segregated lectures with six other women. Unfortunately she failed her exams in Edinburgh but continued to study and eventually obtained a medical degree from the University of Berne. Soon afterwards, she became registered with the General Medical Council. After qualifying, she went on to help found two medical schools for women – in London and in Edinburgh. She also set up a hospital for women in Edinburgh – she broadly thought that the role of female doctors was to care for women.
