Kilmun, Argyll & Bute - St. Munn's Church, Elizabeth Blackwell grave - postcard

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  Elizabeth Blackwell MD (First Lady Doctor), St. Munn's Church, Kilmun [Argyll & Bute]
• Publisher: none stated
• Postally used: no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

------------------------------------------------

Postage & Packing:

Postage and packing charge should be showing for your location (contact if not sure).

No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. Please wait for combined invoice. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).

Payment Methods:

UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order

Outside UK: PayPal ONLY (unless otherwise stated) please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).

NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

----------------------------------------------

Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

*************

Kilmun; (Scottish Gaelic: Cill Mhunna) is a linear settlement on the north shore of the Holy Loch, on the Cowalpeninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It runs between the head of the sea loch and connects with the village of Strone at Strone Point, where the sea loch joins the Firth of Clyde.

As a settlement, Kilmun is substantially older than most of its neighbours (see Parish Church below). Like them, it developed as a watering-place (a pleasure resort/spa) for Glasgow merchants after 1827, when a quay was built by the marine engineer David Napier. It was a regular stop for the Clyde steamer services until its closure in 1971.^[1]

Kilmun is also home to an extensive arboretum managed by the Forestry Commission. Established in the 1930s to monitor the success of a variety of exotic tree species in the humid west coast environment, it includes specimens of Sequoia, Japanese Larch, Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle) and Japanese Chestnut amongst many others from around the world. A series of woodland walks have been established of varying gradients and degrees of difficulty, which link by a forestry track to Benmore wood at the top of Puck's Glen.

The village lies within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.^[2]

Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum in Kilmun on the Cowal Peninsula, Scotland,^[1] consists of St Munn's Church (a Category-A-listed building and Kilmun's parish church of the Church of Scotland), as well as the adjacent mausoleum of the Dukes of Argyll and a historically significant churchyard. The complex is located on the summit of a slight knoll about ten metres from the shoreline of the Holy Loch. The existing church dates from 1841^[2] and occupies the site of an older, medieval church. A partly ruined tower from the medieval period still stands to the west of the present building.

The graveyard is said to be the burial place of St Munn (Fintán of Taghmon),^[16][17][18] who is also the patron saint of Clan Campbell.^[5]

In the north-west of the church is the mausoleum of Sir John Douglas. The octagonal structure was built in 1888 from red sandstone and features rock-cut ashlar walls, a studded timber door with a carved armorial panel above it and a stone-slabbed roof. The mausoleum contains the remains of General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart, GCB (1817–1888), a military commander during the Indian Mutiny.^[3]

To the north of the church is the final resting place of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first qualified female physician in the United States.^[19]

Elizabeth Blackwell (February 3, 1821 – May 31, 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council.^[1]Elizabeth Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social and moral reformer. She acted as a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell's contributions remain celebrated through an Elizabeth Blackwell medal that is awarded to one woman every year who has added to the cause of promoting women in medicine.^[1] Furthermore, Hobart and William Smith College recently created a statue on their campus honoring Elizabeth Blackwell.^[2]

Elizabeth Blackwell was initially uninterested in a career in medicine especially after her schoolteacher brought in a bull's eye to use as a teaching tool.^[1] Therefore, she became a schoolteacher in order to support her family. This occupation was seen as suitable for women during the 1800s, however, being a schoolteacher did not interest Blackwell. Blackwell's motivation to go into medicine came after her friend fell ill and suggested that if a female doctor had cared for her, she might not have suffered so much.^[1] Blackwell began to apply to medical schools, however, she endured a lot of prejudice due to her gender. She was rejected from all the medical schools she applied to except Geneva Medical College. In 1847 Blackwell became the first woman to attend medical school in the United States.^[1]

Elizabeth Blackwell had her inaugural thesis on typhoid fever published in the Buffalo Medical Journal right after she graduated from college in 1849.^[3] This article was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States. Her article portrayed a strong sense of empathy and sensitivity to human suffering as well as a strong desire for social and economic justice.^[3] This point of view was considered very feminine.^[3] Furthermore, in 1857, Blackwell also opened up the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily. She also gave lectures to women about the importance of educating girls.^[2]