Elsie Inglis | Page 8

death. But the factor which most
greatly contributed to her influence was the unselfishness of her work.
She truly 'set the cause above renown' and loved 'the game beyond the
prize.' She was always above the suspicion of working for ulterior
motives or grinding a personal axe. It was ever the work, and not her
own share in it, which concerned her, and no one was more generous in
recognizing the work of others.
"To her friends Elsie Inglis is a vivid memory, yet it is not easy clearly
to put in words the many sides of her character. In the care of her
patients she was sympathetic, strong, and unsparing of herself; in
public life she was a good speaker and a keen fighter; while as a
woman and a friend she was a delightful mixture of sound good sense,
quick temper, and warm-hearted impulsiveness--a combination of
qualities which won her many devoted friends. A very marked feature
of her character was an unusual degree of optimism which never failed
her. Difficulties never existed for Dr. Inglis, and were barely so much
as thought of in connection with any cause she might have at heart.
This, with her clear head and strong common sense, made her a real
driving power, and any scheme which had her interest always owed
much to her ability to push things through."

In the following chapters the principal events in her life during these
twenty years--1894 to 1914--will be dealt with in detail, before we
arrive at the story of the last three years and of the "Going Forth."
FOOTNOTES:
[8] From contributions to Dr. Elsie Inglis, by Lady Frances Balfour.
[9] Dr. Elsie Inglis, by Lady Frances Balfour.
CHAPTER IV
HER MEDICAL CAREER
1894-1914
During the years from 1894 to 1914 the main stream in Elsie Inglis's
life was her medical work. This was her profession, her means of
livelihood; it was also the source from which she drew conclusions in
various directions, which influenced her conduct in after-years, and it
supplied the foundation and the scaffolding for the structure of her
achievements at home and abroad.
The pursuit of her profession for twenty years in Edinburgh brought to
her many experiences which roused new and wide interests, and which
left their impress on her mind.
One who was a fellow-student writes of her classmate: "She impressed
one immediately with her mental and physical sturdiness. She had an
extremely pleasant face, with a finely moulded forehead, soft, kind,
fearless, blue eyes, and a smile, when it came, like sunshine; with this
her mouth and chin were firm and determined."
She was a student of the School of Medicine for Women in Edinburgh
of which Dr. Jex-Blake was Dean--a fine woman of strong character, to
whom, and to a small group of fellow-workers in England, women owe
the opening of the door of the medical profession. As Dean, however,
she may have erred in attempting an undue control over the students.

To Elsie Inglis and some of her fellow-students this seemed to
prejudice their liberty, and to frustrate an aim she always had in view,
the recognition by the public of an equal footing on all grounds with
men students. The difficulties became so great that Elsie Inglis at
length left the Edinburgh school and continued her education at
Glasgow, where at St. Margaret's College classes in medicine had
recently been opened. A fellow-student writes: "Never very keenly
interested in the purely scientific side of the curriculum, she had a
masterly grasp of what was practical." She took her qualifying medical
diploma in 1902.
After her return to Edinburgh she started a scheme and brought it to
fruition with that fearlessness and ability which at a later period came
to be expected from her, both by her friends and by the public. With the
help of sympathetic lecturers and friends of The Women's Movement,
she succeeded in establishing a second School of Medicine for Women
in Edinburgh, with its headquarters at Minto House, a building which
had been associated with the study of medicine since the days of Syme.
It proved a successful venture. After the close of Dr. Jex-Blake's school
a few years later, it was the only school for women students in
Edinburgh, and continued to be so till the University opened its doors
to them.
It was mainly due to Dr. Inglis's exertions that The Hospice was opened
in the High Street of Edinburgh as a nursing home and maternity centre
staffed by medical women. An account of it and of Dr. Inglis's work in
connection with it is given in a later chapter.
She was appointed Joint-Surgeon to the Edinburgh Bruntsfield Hospital
and Dispensary for Women and Children, also staffed by women and
one of the fruits of Dr. Jex-Blake's exertions. Here,