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Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821 in England. While she was growing up, two of her brothers and six of her sisters died. Elizabeth decided to become a doctor.
Her father was a sugar businessman. He encouraged equality (平等) between boys and girls so, unlike most girls, Elizabeth had the same education as boys.
One night, when Elizabeth was eleven, a fire destroyed her family's business. The family became so poor that Mr Blackwell decided to go to America. When the family reached New York, Mr Blackwell tried to start a new business, but failed. In 1837, he died.
After being refused several times by medical schools, Elizabeth was finally accepted by Geneva Medical College in New York, largely as a joke. People there, even women, thought she was indecent (下流的) and asked her to leave. But with great determination, Elizabeth graduated with high honors. After graduation, Elizabeth went to Paris to learn more about medicine. Elizabeth returned to America in 1851. There she helped other women become doctors and opened a medicine store. Then, she begged her rich friends to give money to build a hospital.
Elizabeth's dream came true in 1857 when the New York Infirmary For Women and Children opened its doors. It was the first true hospital for women, run by women doctors in the world. In 1868, the hospital opened a medical college for women. After that, Elizabeth received a letter from Europe asking her to come to her homeland and do for the women of Europe what she had done in America. She returned to England in 1869. There she served for forty years, which made her a hero.