Irish Women in Medicine, C.1880-1920s Origins, Education and Careers

The first comprehensive history of Irish women in medicine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It focuses on the debates surrounding women’s admission to Irish medical schools, the geographical and social backgrounds of early women medical students, their educational experiences and subsequent careers.

This book is the first comprehensive history of Irish women in medicine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It focuses on the debates surrounding women’s admission to Irish medical schools, the geographical and social backgrounds of early women medical students, their educational experiences and their subsequent careers. Kelly portrays Irish medical schools as open-minded with regard to the admission of women to the medical profession and suggests that women were treated fairly during their time in medical education. The study highlights major differences between Irish and British experiences: most significantly, that Irish institutions were more open-minded than Britain's with regard to attitudes towards women’s medical education, and that the Irish system of medical education was inclusive and paternalistic towards women students. At the same time, women medical students, in common with their British and American sisters, were certainly seen as a separate cohort from the men and had a distinctive social identity which was crafted both by and for them. The book also covers women's subsequent careers within the medical profession. Most importantly, this book will change the way we consider the history of women in medicine, higher education and the professions in Ireland.

This book is the first comprehensive history of Irish women in medicine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It focuses on the debates surrounding women’s admission to Irish medical schools, the geographical and social backgrounds of early women medical students, their educational experiences and subsequent careers. It is the first collective biography of the 760 women who studied medicine at Irish institutions in the period and, in contrast to previous histories, puts forward the idea that women medical students and doctors were treated fairly and often favourably by the Irish medical hierarchy. It highlights the distinctiveness of Irish medical education in contrast with that in Britain and is also unique in terms of the combination of rich sources it draws upon, such as official university records from Irish universities, medical journals, Irish newspapers, Irish student magazines, the memoirs of Irish women doctors, and oral history accounts.