Sarah Campbell Allan was born in Charleston, S.C. on December 7, 1861. After being denied entry to the Medical College of the State of South Carolina because of her gender, she attended the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary (which later merged with Cornell University). She studied under Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman physician in the United States. Dr. Allan also studied at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. In 1894, Dr. Allan became the first woman to be licensed to practice medicine in the state of South Carolina. According to the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Allan received the highest scores of the group with whom she took her exams. In 1895, Dr. Allan accepted a position at the South Carolina State Lunatic Asylum, where she remained until 1907. She then retired from medical practice to return to Charleston and take care of her father. Dr. Allan acted as a psychiatric consultant to Charleston physicians during this period. Dr. Allan died in February of 1954.
From the description of Sarah Campbell Allan, M.D. Papers 1895-1952 (Medical University of South Carolina Library). WorldCat record id: 213883268
