In 1857, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, her sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell, and Dr. Marie Zakrzewska founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children at 64 Bleecker Street. This institution and its medical college for women (established in 1867) provided training and experience for women doctors and medical care for the poor.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell received her M.D. degree from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N.Y., and became the first woman in the U.S. with a medical degree.