Edinburgh Seven

Edinburgh Seven. They were the first group of matriculated female undergraduate students at any British university, who fought to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh between 1869 and 1873. Their campaign, led by Sophia Jex-Blake, became a pivotal event in the history of women's education and the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. Although ultimately denied degrees by the university, their struggle galvanized public opinion and led directly to legislation enabling women to qualify in medicine.

Background and context

In the mid-19th century, higher education and the medical profession in Britain were almost entirely closed to women. Pioneers like Elizabeth Blackwell, who earned her degree in the United States, and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who leveraged the Society of Apothecaries' loophole to qualify, demonstrated the possibility. The University of Zurich had begun admitting women to medical studies, creating pressure for reform in the United Kingdom. In Edinburgh, a progressive element within the university and city, including influential professors like Sir James Young Simpson, supported opening medical education. This environment set the stage for a coordinated attempt to gain formal admission to a degree program, a right denied under the university's existing charter and regulations.

The campaign for admission

The effort was spearheaded by Sophia Jex-Blake, who, after being rejected from Harvard University, sought to create a pathway in Scotland. In 1869, she advertised for fellow students, forming the group that would become known by their collective name. With support from David Masson, a professor of English literature, they petitioned the University Court for admission to lectures and examinations. After contentious debate, the court granted them permission to attend separate classes in 1869, a significant but segregated victory. This decision was fiercely opposed by a conservative faction of the medical faculty and many students, setting the scene for ongoing conflict. Their matriculation was a landmark, making them the first formally enrolled female undergraduates in Britain.

Medical education and challenges

The women began their studies, excelling academically in courses taught by sympathetic professors. They attended classes in chemistry under Alexander Crum Brown, natural history with John Hutton Balfour, and other required subjects. However, they faced systematic harassment and obstruction from opponents. Professors who supported them, like James Lorrain Smith, faced criticism, while others refused to teach them. A major setback came when they were barred from clinical instruction at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, a crucial component of medical training. The university's increasing hostility culminated in 1871 when it was declared that it could not legally confer degrees upon women, invalidating the purpose of their studies and leading to a famous legal challenge.

The Surgeons' Hall riot

The most notorious incident occurred on 18 November 1870 at Surgeons' Hall. The women were to sit a scheduled examination in anatomy, but a large crowd of hostile male students and onlookers gathered. The mob jeered, threw mud, and attempted to block their entrance, creating a chaotic and frightening scene. The event, widely reported in newspapers like The Scotsman and The Times, became a national scandal. Sympathetic public figures, including the philosopher John Stuart Mill, denounced the university's failure to protect the students. The riot starkly illustrated the virulent opposition to women in medicine and significantly boosted the public profile and sympathy for their cause.

Aftermath and legacy

Despite winning their initial court case in 1872, the women lost on appeal in 1873 when the Court of Session ruled the university was within its rights to deny them graduation. Although they left Edinburgh without degrees, their campaign was a strategic defeat that prompted legislative action. Jex-Blake and her allies, including Isabel Thorne, used the publicity to found the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874, with Elizabeth Garrett Anderson as its dean. Their pressure contributed directly to the passage of the Medical Act 1876, which allowed medical licensing bodies throughout Britain to examine women. Members like Edith Pechey and Matilda Chaplin went on to distinguished medical careers. Their struggle is commemorated by a plaque at the University of Edinburgh, and in 2019 the university posthumously awarded them the MBChB degree, symbolically correcting the historical injustice.

Category:History of women in the United Kingdom Category:University of Edinburgh Category:History of medicine in Scotland Category:Women's education in the United Kingdom Category:19th-century British women