Emily Stowe: Canada's first female physican. And a chilled glass of haskap

 In the farming region of Norwich Township, Ontario, Canada, on May 1, 1831, Emily Jennings Stowe entered the world. 

All these years later, the region is still largely agricultural, even if tobacco farming is giving way to more modern crops. 

Emily became Canada's first practicing female physician and a founder of the women's suffrage movement in Canada. Homeschooled, in a Quaker community that encouraged education for women, and taught herbal remedies by her mother, she pursued a teaching career until her husband contracted tuberculosis. That led her to focus instead on medicine. 

Of course she faced obstacles. The Toronto School of Medicine denied her access because of her gender, so in 1867 she went to New York and earned her degree. She then promptly returned to Canada to open a medical practice in Ontario. Her fight was only just beginning. And it wasn't until 1880 that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario finally granted her a license to practice medicine. 


As always, there's so much more to her story than I have time to write. I hope that these little vignettes, if not comprehensive, at least awaken an interest in women who have made a difference in history. 


***

If you go to Norwich today, you might find your way to Jordan's Divine Dish Restaurant, where on the menu you will find Sparkling Hassap. That's the juice of a berry in the honeysuckle family, native to the region and parts further north. It's supposed to have the flavor of blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant. I like to think that on a warm day in summer, young Emily might have gone berry picking and tasted a few hassap fruits herself, enjoying childhood and with no clue what lay in store for her. 



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