When British-born Elizabeth Blackwell earned her medical degree in America in 1849 there was an international outcry. Few at the time would have disagreed with the actress Fanny Kemble's remark - 'What, trust a woman doctor - never '

Yet by the time Dr Blackwell died in 1910 there were hundreds of women practising medicine on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks in no small part to her courage and determination. Using a treasure trove of primary sources, the book reveals how Elizabeth Blackwell's pioneering efforts helped to fundamentally change the status of women in the West.

The Excellent Doctor Blackwell tells a remarkable story, taking in the women's rights movement, the American Civil War and Elizabeth's personal tragedy, with a fascinating cast of characters, from Abraham Lincoln to Florence Nightingale.

Julia Boyd's biography of the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States is a marvelous read. In the tradition of the best biographers, Boyd teases out the contradictions and nuances in her subject's character. Casual and scholarly readers from both sides of the Atlantic will find Boyd's book beautifully written, convincingly argued, and consistently engaging in its trans-national portrait of a cultural icon who is too little known
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