Typescript autobiography written by Edith Flower Wheeler, Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania class of 1897
Get the story...
Eliza Grier and Matilda Evans: Two Women, Two Paths
Edith Flower Wheeler was from Corning, New York and graduated from Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1897. She wrote this unpublished autobiography in 1946. Wheeler describes various aspects of student life, from dissecting a cadaver to her relationships with her classmates in her distinct voice. Wheeler’s memoir also captures the sensibilities of the era and of her fellow students.
On pages 114-155 of her memoir, Edith Flower Wheeler, a graduate of the Woman' Medical College of Pennsylvania class of 1897, described an incident that took place during graduation. Apparently, a white student did not want to walk with the two African-American students in the graduation procession. This incident shows that despite the relative tolerance at WMCP for women of all races and backgrounds, African Americans still encountered subtle and overt racism from individuals, including fellow students.
Creator: Edith Flower Wheeler
Language: english
Item Number: ax2002_2_001
Pages: 472
Size: 21.5X27.5
Physical Collection: ACC-X.2002.2
Finding Aid: http://archives.drexelmed.edu/collect/inventories/aX_2002_002_inventory.pdf
Link to OPAC Record: http://records.library.drexel.edu/record=b1430078~S9
Cite this source: Title of document, date. Eliza Grier and Matilda Evans: Two Women, Two Paths. Doctor or Doctress?: Explore American history through the eyes of women physicians. The Legacy Center, Drexel University College of Medicine Archives & Special Collections. Philadelphia, PA. Date of access. http://lcdc.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/islandora:971
women medical students
Women physicians-- biography
Missionaries, Medical
Discrimination in medical education
African American women--Education
Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania -- Alumni and alumnae
Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania-- History
Corning, NY
Womens Medical College, North College Avenue, Philadelphia