On November 1, 1848, twelve women began classes at the Boston Female Medical College, an institution that Boston University identifies as the first in the United States to teach medical subjects to women. Founded under the leadership of Samuel Gregory, the school opened a new avenue into medical education at a time when women faced formidable professional barriers.
Gregory’s motives combined advocacy for women’s training with conventional beliefs about female modesty. He considered it improper for male physicians to attend women during childbirth and argued that women should receive the education needed to care for other women. The school initially emphasized midwifery, beginning with two male instructors and classes held in the parlor of a Boston home.
Its ambitions and curriculum expanded over time. Later known as the New England Female Medical College, it awarded its first four medical degrees in 1854. Among its subsequent graduates was Rebecca Lee Crumpler, who earned her degree in 1864 and became the first Black woman physician in the United States.
Despite financial difficulties and opposition from established medicine, the college sustained a place for women in professional training. Its merger with Boston University was completed in 1874, bringing its students into a coeducational medical school. What began as a small program shaped partly by restrictive ideas about women’s roles helped widen the boundaries of who could become a physician.
