Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson 1836-1917, English physician. A sister of Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Elizabeth also worked for woman suffrage. With difficulty she obtained a private medical education under accredited physicians and in London hospitals; in 1865 she was licensed to practice by the Scottish Society of Apothecaries. In London in 1866 she opened a dispensary, later a small hospital, for women and children, the first in England to be staffed by women physicians; it was known after 1918 as the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital. Largely as a result of her efforts, British examining boards opened their examinations to women.

Bibliography: See biography by J. Manton (1965).

Anderson, Elizabeth Garrett (1836–1917) British physician. Debarred from entry to medical courses because of her sex, she studied privately and in 1865 obtained a licence to practise from the Society of Apothecaries. In 1866 she opened a dispensary for women and children in London, which later became a hospital; it was renamed the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in 1918. In 1870 she received the degree of MD from Paris University, and in 1873 she became the first woman to be elected to the BMA. Her influence was considerable in securing the admission of women to professional medical bodies.