ABSTRACT
When the other women students left Edinburgh to enjoy Christmas with their families, Sophia remained behind. She spent part of Christmas Day at the office of the Scotsman arranging for the inclusion of some important notices in the next issue of the paper. The Annual Meeting of Contributors was usually held in the Edinburgh Council Chambers, but the recent riot at Surgeons’ Hall had so captured public interest in the plight of the women students that there was not enough room in the Chambers for all those who wished to attend. Sophia’s performance was only a little less dramatic. Despite Sophia’s efforts, the meeting re-elected the members of the retiring Board, so for at least another year the women students had no prospect of being admitted to the wards of the Infirmary. Sophia had not intended to speak on this occasion, but she could not let pass unchallenged a remark made by one of her opponents.
