St Bartholomew's Hospital, located in Smithfield in the City of London, was founded in 1123, and is the oldest hospital in England. It has a long and interesting history and its Archives hold documents and other materials which provide insight into the history of medicine, the Hospital and its Medical College.

St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College was established in 1843. In 1900, it became a Constituent College of the University of London in the Faculty of Medicine.

Although Elizabeth Blackwell was admitted to train as a doctor at Barts back in 1850, women would not be admitted as students on equal terms for another 100 years.

In Barts' more recent history, women have played important roles, as students and teachers, and also as leading researchers, doctors and consultants. Women including Professor Parveen Kumar and Professor Frances Balkwill have made significant advances and contributes in teaching, research and patient care.

Learn more about Women in Medicine and Dentristry here.

Barts and The London have had a long association since 1968. The two joined in 1992 to form Barts and The London NHS Trust and brought together to two medical colleges. The merged medical colleges became part of Queen Mary, University of London in 1995, forming Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Nursing also has a long history at Barts, and it was a profession where women played a prominent role. Barts' School of Nursing and Midwifery is now based at City University.

You may learn more about the history of Barts and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, by browsing the website, visiting the Archives and reading these two informative histories of medical and nursing education at Barts:

• Nursing at Bart's by Geoffrey Yeo, and
• Medical Education at St Bartholomew's Hospital by Keir Waddington