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Bristol's First Woman Doctor Honored With Blue Plaque
5 Nov
Summary
- Bristol's first woman doctor, Eliza Walker Dunbar, received a blue plaque.
- She was one of the first seven women globally to earn a medical degree.
- Walker Dunbar established clinics and a hospital for women and children.
A blue plaque now commemorates Dr. Eliza Walker Dunbar, Bristol's pioneering first woman doctor, at the location of her former hospital in Berkeley Square. Dunbar, born in 1845, was a member of the "Zürich Seven," the initial group of women globally to obtain formal medical degrees from the University of Zürich.
After moving to Bristol in 1873, Dunbar served as a house surgeon but resigned due to male doctors' protest. She subsequently established a private practice and an outpatient clinic for women and children. In 1895, she founded the Bristol Private Hospital for Women and Children, where she practiced until her death in 1925.
The University of Bristol's installation of the plaque was inspired by students studying local history. Dunbar also actively contributed to Bristol's Women's Movement, including the fight for female suffrage in the late 19th century.
