Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital

The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital holds a place in history as the first medical institution in Britain established to provide poor women with care from qualified female doctors. Its founder, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, secured her place in history after teaching herself anatomy and passing examinations that medical schools had refused her entry to based on her gender. When she opened her initial dispensary in eighteen sixty-six, it was a radical departure from the standard practice of the time, which kept the medical profession firmly closed to women.