WOMEN IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



that were famed throughout Europe for their attainments 

 in law, philosophy, science, ancient and modern languages, 

 medicine, and surgery the rivals, and sometimes the 

 superiors, in scholarship of the ablest men among their 

 distinguished colleagues. 



It would be a pleasure to recount the achievements of 

 these justly celebrated daughters of Italy; but lack of 

 space precludes the mention of more than one of them. 

 This was Maria dalle Donne, who was born of poor peas- 

 ants near Bologna, and who at an early age exhibited in- 

 telligence of a superior order. After pursuing her studies 

 under the ablest masters, she obtained from the University 

 of Bologna, maxima cum laude, the degree of doctor in 

 philosophy and medicine. On account of her knowledge of 

 surgery, as well as of medicine, she was soon afterward put 

 in charge of the city's school for mid wives. When Na- 

 poleon, in 1802, passed through Bologna he was so struck 

 by the exceptional ability of the young dottoressa that, on 

 the recommendation of the savant Caterzani, he had insti- 

 tuted for her in the university a chair of obstetrics a 

 position which she held until the time of her death, in 

 1842, with the greatest credit to herself and to the institu- 

 tion with which she was identified. 



Maria dalle Donne is a worthy link between that long 

 line of women doctors, beginning with Trotula, who have 

 so honored their sex in Italy, and those still more numer- 

 ous practitioners in the healing art who, shortly after her 

 death, began to spring up in all parts of the civilized 

 world. 1 



i It may be remarked that it was a woman, Lady Mary Montagu, 

 who introduced inoculation with small-pox virus into Western Europe, 

 and that it was also a woman a simple English milkmaid who 

 communicated to Jenner the information which led to his discovery 

 of a prophylactic against small-pox. But of far greater importance 

 was the introduction into Europe of that priceless febrifuge and 

 antiperiodic chinchona bark. This was due to the Countess of 

 Chinchon, vicereine of Peru. Having been cured by its virtues of an 



