Britain’s First Woman Doctor

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In Victorian Britain, the law, society, and the entire medical establishment agreed: a woman could not be a doctor.

For Elizabeth Garrett (1836-1917), this barrier was not a challenge-it was an invitation to open rebellion. This is the definitive biography of the woman who refused to accept exclusion, charting her decades-long, meticulous campaign to dismantle systemic prejudice and permanently reshape professional life.

Driven by relentless strategic ambition, Garrett Anderson did not simply ask for access; she forced it. Discover the untold story of how she exploited a critical legal loophole in 1865 to become the first woman legally qualified to practice medicine in Britain. She engineered a triple revolution, founding her own institutions-including the pioneering London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW)-to guarantee educational opportunity for all who followed. Throughout her life, she balanced a demanding career, pioneering surgical work, and a groundbreaking marriage before reaching her political peak as the first female Mayor in England.

From confronting student protests in the dissecting room to establishing a powerful, enduring legacy, this book details the immense personal cost and strategic genius required to fight a world determined to keep her out. Approx.172 pages, 33000 word count