Plaque unveiled in honour of 'pioneering' doctor

Bristol's first woman doctor has been honoured with a blue plaque at the site of her former hospital.

Dr Eliza Walker Dunbar, who was born in 1845, was one of the 'Zürich Seven', the first seven women in the world to complete a formal medical degree at the University of Zürich in Switzerland.

The University of Bristol installed the plaque in Berkeley Square, along with a replica of Walker Dunbar's brass doctors' name plate.

Prof Judith Squires, provost and deputy vice-chancellor, said Walker Dunbar was "a pioneering woman who made an incredible difference to the people of Bristol".

After moving to Bristol in 1873, Walker Dunbar became a house surgeon at Bristol's Children's Hospital, but was forced to resign when the male doctors walked out in protest.

Following her resignation, she set up a private practice in Clifton and established an outpatient clinic for women and children in Hotwells in 1876.

She opened the Bristol Private Hospital for Women and Children in Berkeley Square in 1895, where she remained the senior surgeon until her death in 1925.

The site is now part of the University of Bristol's School of Education.

Squires said Walker Dunbar "paved the way for millions of female doctors and clinicians after her".

The university said plans for the plaque developed after a group of students used her as a case study for place-based local history teaching.

Dr Evan Jones from the university's department of history said: "In the course of looking into her history, we discovered that she used to unscrew her brass doctor's name plate from the hospital door each night in case it was stolen or defaced.

"The students wanted to give her plate back to her and we are very pleased to do so," he added.

In addition to her medical career, Walker Dunbar contributed to the broader Women's Movement in Bristol in the late 19th Century, becoming involved in the city's female suffrage movement.

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